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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25935130">KillerVibe Fanfic Week 2020</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sssssssim/pseuds/sssssssim'>sssssssim</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>KillerVibe Week [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Flash (TV 2014)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, KillerVibe - Freeform, Killervibe Week, Killervibe Week 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:34:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,564</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25935130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sssssssim/pseuds/sssssssim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 1: Coffee Shop<br/>
Day 2: Chance Meet / Meet Cute<br/>
Day 3: High School / College<br/>
Day 4: Free Day<br/>
Day 5: Breakup<br/>
Day 6: Arranged Marriage<br/>
Day 7: Media adaptation </p><p>△ Event hosted by <a href="https://killervibedaily.tumblr.com/">@killervibedaily</a> ▽</p><p>
  
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cisco Ramon/Caitlin Snow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>KillerVibe Week [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880617</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Killervibedaily Events</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Day1: Coffee Shop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This year, all fics will be 5+1. They won't be brilliant, not by best work by far, but they'll be cute. As always, feedback is always appreciated.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Five times Killer Frost gets a coffee, and one time Caitlin does.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>People thought Cisco was crazy. Crazy and stubborn, for working at Jitters.</p><p>On one hand, he didn’t need the job. It was only a few hours a week, scheduled around his work at Star Labs. That paid more than enough, even though their work load had been significantly reduced.</p><p>On the other hand, since the particle accelerator explosion, it seemed like CC Jitters was ground zero for metahuman attacks. Each week, someone evil showed up, broke a few things, maybe a window, sometimes a support beam.</p><p>The Flash usually handled the metahuman before anybody got seriously hurt.</p><p>And that’s where the explanation came from, the explanation Cisco couldn’t really tell anyone. Not only did he know who the Flash was, but they worked together at Star Labs.</p><p>There was also the part where Cisco himself was a metahuman and he could take care of himself, even if Vibe didn’t make an appearance.</p><p>The truth was that ever since the explosion, Cisco’s anxiety was through the roof and depressive moments came as often as showering. It was a normal thing to happen, he assumed, when his day job included saving the world. But, at the end of the day, it took a toll on him, and for reasons he didn’t really understand, his hands working on making lattes and frappuccinos, it helped him relax.</p><p>So Cisco worked, a little, as a barista at CC Jitters. And he worked with the Flash and Doctor Wells, saving Central City and sometimes, the world.</p><p>Cisco was a brilliant engineer by day, a superhero by night, and a barista in between.</p><p>You’d think he’d be able to make better choices.</p><p>
  <strong>△ One ▽</strong>
</p><p>Cisco didn’t even see her, at first, because she came in during the noon rush. So he was working really fast at making the orders, as was his co-worker. They were both very surprised when they found themselves in an empty Jitters.</p><p>Well, it wasn’t empty. She was standing in the middle of it, an eyebrow raised lazily.</p><p>After a few moments of them staring at each other, she rolled her eyes and huffed, a breath of ice convincing Cisco that he was, in fact, looking at Killer Frost, not at a cosplayer.</p><p>‘Well? Is any one of you going to ask for my order?’</p><p>Andrea, the other barista, let out a little whimper. She was shaking, clearly terrified.</p><p>‘We’re out of caramel sauce.’, Cisco told her. ‘Why don’t you go out back and get some, while I take the… lovely lady’s order?’</p><p>There was a snort coming from Frost’s general vicinity, but she didn’t say anything else, not until Andrea was almost out.</p><p>‘And don’t bother calling the cops, sweetheart. I’ll be out before you tell them your name.’</p><p>Andrea stared at her, before turning to Cisco.</p><p>‘Go.’, he smiled at her. ‘It’s fine.’</p><p>On shaky legs, Andrea left. Cisco took a deep breath before turning around to look at Frost.</p><p>She was in her full getup, black leather, dark blue accents, purple lips and silver hair. Killer Frost looked evil, absolutely terrifying, and incredibly hot.</p><p>Cisco knew better, though. He knew that she was one of the milder metahumans. She never killed anyone, the most hurt she inflicted was frostbite and most of her portofolio was made out of robberies.</p><p>He wasn’t afraid of her, not really. Sure, there was power vibing at his fingertips, ready to come out if needed, but Cisco didn’t think it was going to get to that point.</p><p>So he smiled at her, the fake one he always used on asshole customers.</p><p>‘What can I get for you?’</p><p>There was a curious spark in her eyes, as she made her way to the counter and leaned against it.</p><p>‘So many options.’, she all but purred. ‘I can’t decide.’</p><p>‘You haven’t even looked at the menu.’, Cisco deadpanned.</p><p>‘Why don’t you make me something?’</p><p>He sighed. ‘Hot or cold?’</p><p>‘You’re definitely hot.’</p><p>He sighed again. ‘I was talking about the coffee.’</p><p>‘I really don’t know.’, she fluttered her eyelashes at him. ‘You choose.’</p><p>Cisco rolled his eyes, annoyed by the slimy flirting. He hated when supervillains did that.</p><p>‘The logical assumption would be to make you something as cold as your soul. But’, Cisco tilted his head, ‘I’m going to make you something hot.’</p><p>Frost smirked. ‘As hot as you?’</p><p>‘No, something hot enough to bring your coretemp up. I can’t be sure, but I don’t think having such a low temperature for such a long time is doing good to your body.’</p><p>She seemed very surprised by it, and Cisco wondered if it was because he showed signs of having a brain, or if it was because he showed her kindness.</p><p>‘Hot sounds good.’, Frost said after a few long moments, clearly unsure.</p><p>Cisco turned around in order to prepare the coffee, and in order to hide his smirk.</p><p>‘Sweet?’, he asked.</p><p>‘Yes, I bet you are.’</p><p>He actually growled. ‘The coffee. Sweet?’</p><p>‘Little bit.’</p><p>Cisco rolled his eyes and added a few pumps of vanilla syrup. He also added some sugar free whipped cream and, just to be obnoxious, a few very colorful sprinkles.</p><p>When he gave her the coffee, she pouted.</p><p>‘You didn’t ask me for my name.’</p><p>He snorted. ‘Everyone knows your name, Frost.’</p><p>For a moment, her eyes flashed with something dangerous. ‘That’s not my name.’, she whispered in a very cold way.</p><p>Cisco straightened his back and nodded.</p><p>‘Yeah, I’m sure nobody’s parents would actually write that on their kid’s birth certificate. And I’m also sure that the other word the press puts before Frost is bulshit.’</p><p>Her eyes flash blue then, and ice gathered on the counter between them.</p><p>‘You really should be afraid of me.’ </p><p>The way her voice vibrated, it should be making her more terrifying. To Cisco, it just made her more interesting.</p><p>Cisco smiled at her, still that fake one he used for tricky customers. ‘And you really should try your coffee.’</p><p>She licked her lips before taking a small sip of it, lickig the whipped cream off her purple lips.</p><p>Frost hummed. ‘It’s good, so I won’t kill you this time.’</p><p>With that, she turned around and walked out. Cisco didn’t even find it in himself to grumble about how she didn’t pay.</p><p>
  <strong>△ Two ▽</strong>
</p><p>The late shift was the worst.</p><p>It started just as the coffee shop got filled with people on dates, and it ended way into the night, after all the money was counted and put away, and after every inch of the shop was scrubbed clean.</p><p>There were three more minutes that Cisco had to work. Three more minutes to clean the last coffee maker, and he would have gone home.</p><p>Of course, the bell above the door rang loudly.</p><p>‘We’re closed!’, Cisco said as politely as he could.</p><p>A cold vibrating voice answered. ‘Not for me you’re not.’</p><p>Cisco smirked, immediately, and he didn’t hide it as he turned around to face her.</p><p>She looked exactly the same, but he could see she was tired.</p><p>‘Come back for more?’, he snorted.</p><p>‘Double shot.’, Frost nodded. ‘And less vanilla.’</p><p>‘More chocolate?’</p><p>‘Okay.’, she shrugged, making her way to the counter. She leaned on it, and Cisco ignored her as he made her coffee.</p><p>But considering he was supposed to be off work a full minute ago, he didn’t bother too much. Not any whipped cream or sprinkles, but he did write <em> Frosty </em> on the cup.</p><p>She snorted, but took it. And she hummed when she took her first sip.</p><p>‘Much better. Not perfect, but better.’</p><p>Cisco rolled his eyes. ‘Are you gonna pay for this one?’</p><p>Frost cackled evilly at that, walking away. </p><p>‘See you later, Cisco.’</p><p>She didn’t even turn to look at him, and it was a good thing, because Cisco was gaping at her retreating back.</p><p>How did she know his name? Jitters didn’t do nametags.</p><p>How did she know his nickname?</p><p>
  <strong>△ Three ▽</strong>
</p><p>The next time she came in, it was just after the morning rush hour. Cisco was, technically, on his break, but considering how the shop cleared, employees included, he got up and made his way behind the counter.</p><p>Frost was bleeding from a gash on her eyebrow and one on her neck. Cisco didn’t mention it, started making her coffee.</p><p>‘Less chocolate.’, she said sweetly. ‘More cream.’</p><p>Cisco nodded, hands moving quickly, making a simple coffee with whipped cream and just a little chocolate. He kept his mouth shut, and she didn’t offer any chatter.</p><p>But when he handed her the cup of coffee, their fingers brushed. Cisco didn’t have a vibe, not fully, but he felt something familiar, a hot swirl in his stomach.</p><p>It made him want to touch her again, vibe her for real.</p><p>Frost saw something, because she raised a curious eyebrow.</p><p>‘Tell me how’s your coffee.’</p><p>She took a sip and, once again, hummed. ‘Better, not perfect.’</p><p>‘No chocolate, more cream? I can make you another one.’</p><p>Frost shook her head. ‘Remember it for next time.’</p><p>She winked at him, and it didn’t annoy Cisco. Not… really. So just as she was about to walk out of the shop, he called her name.</p><p>‘Frost. Need a bandaid?’</p><p>She froze at that, but just metaphorically. She didn’t turn to look at him, but her tone was surprisingly soft.</p><p>‘No need, Cisco. I heal quickly.’</p><p>She didn’t run, but she left quickly, leaving a very confused Cisco behind.</p><p>Because now, he thought there might be a real chance he knew the name printed on Killer Frost’s ID.</p><p>
  <strong>△ Four ▽</strong>
</p><p>She came in ten minutes after closing time.</p><p>The only reason why Cisco was still there was because he was waiting for Barry to wrap things up at CCPD, before they meet up at Star Labs for the night shift.</p><p>But she came in limping, dried blood on her lips, a lifeless look in her eyes. Frost looked absolutely defeated and exhausted, and like she was going to pass out. </p><p>Cisco didn’t hesitate. He ran to her side and put his arms around her, keeping Frost up. He held her steady until they were close enough to a couch, where he gently laid her down.</p><p>‘I told you’, she breathed out, ‘I heal fast.’</p><p>‘Not fast enough.’</p><p>Frost closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. When she opened her eyes, they were bright blue and she was just mildly glaring at him.</p><p>‘I didn’t come here for your concern, Cisco, I came here for your coffee.’</p><p>With a sigh and an unpleasant mumble of words, he made her damn coffee. Black, hot as possible, with as much whipped cream as the cup could take.</p><p>She took a sip and scrunched up her nose. ‘Too sweet.’</p><p>‘Yes, I am.’, Cisco nodded. ‘Which is why I’m going to offer you a ride.’</p><p>‘No.’, Frost snorted. ‘Five minutes and I’ll be healed.’</p><p>So he waited with her, for fifteen more minutes. They didn’t exactly talk, though not for Cisco’s lack of trying. It’s just that every question he asked was answered with a more or less filthy flirtation, and he… didn’t like it when she did that. Because he knew it was fake.</p><p>She did heal, and she walked out of Jitters with a spring in her step and Cisco’s name on her lips.</p><p>After he was sure she was gone, Cisco called Barry.</p><p>‘Change of plans, dude. Meet you in the speed lab. You bring the pizza, I bring the alcohol.’</p><p>‘Frost came back, didn’t she?’, Barry was always amused by Cisco’s tales of her. ‘What did she do this time?’</p><p>‘She didn’t do much, but she did touch me. And I vibed.’</p><p>‘And?’</p><p>Cisco took a deep breath as a tear fell down his face. ‘There’s a story I didn’t tell you, yet. About Doctor Caitlin Snow. And I think I just got the next chapter.’</p><p>
  <strong>△ Five ▽</strong>
</p><p>Again, she came at night, but this time, Cisco was waiting for her.</p><p>There was a cup of coffee already made, black with just a hint of whipped cream, and he was sitting on the counter as she came in.</p><p>‘Were you waiting for me? That’s almost adorable.’</p><p>Cisco rolled his eyes and handed her the cup. ‘How’s your coffee?’</p><p>She seemed surprised by the taste. ‘Almost perfect, but-’</p><p>‘It should be a little more sweet, right?’</p><p>Frost nodded, frowning. ‘Yes, how did you know that?’</p><p>‘I’m good at my job.’, he managed to sound indignant. </p><p>She didn’t buy it. ‘That was a lie.’</p><p>‘And how do you know that?’</p><p>Cisco pushed too far, because Frost’s expression changed, into a cold one that he hadn’t seen since that first cup of coffee.</p><p>She turned around, flipped her silver hair into his face, probably set on leaving without another word.</p><p>Cisco stopped her by gently calling her name. Nickname.</p><p>‘Frost?’</p><p>She stopped walking, but didn’t turn.</p><p>‘Could you please tell Caitlin that I miss her?’</p><p>It took a few long moments, but Frost turned to stare at him, with wide eyes. She looked afraid.</p><p>‘I really miss her.’, he went on softly. ‘There will always be a place for her at Star Labs, even if… the business we do changed significantly.’</p><p>There was a lot of hesitation in Frost’s eyes, but there was an angry turn to her mouth.</p><p>‘There’s always a place for Caitlin at Star Labs.’, he went on, hopping off the counter and not stopping until he was in front of her. ‘And we could always make a place for you, if you want to turn your back on the dark side.’</p><p>She said just one word. ‘We?’</p><p>Cisco smiled. He didn’t answer, couldn’t really out Barry like that. So he distracted her, by pushing his right hand out and opening up a breach.</p><p>He stepped through it, coming out at Jitters front doors. He opened them, felt immense childish pleasure when he saw how surprised Frost was.</p><p>‘I gotta lock up.’, Cisco held the door open until she walked through.</p><p>Then he quickly locked up, turning to look at her afterwards. Frost was still somewhat in shock.</p><p>He smiled at her. ‘I’ll see you around, Frost. Enjoy your coffee.’</p><p>She didn’t answer, she just stared as Cisco stepped through another breach.</p><p>
  <strong>△ Plus One ▽</strong>
</p><p>Cisco had been watching her for the past two hours.</p><p>Caitlin Snow, wearing a pencil skirt and high heels like she usually did, had spent two hours passing the entrance to Star Labs.</p><p>Back and forth, back and forth, clearly debating going in or not.</p><p>Eventually, she used her old keycard and took a deep breath before taking the first step inside of the building.</p><p>By the time the elevator made its way to the Cortex level, Cisco had made her coffee.</p><p>Two espresso shots, a little steamed milk, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. In a Star Labs cup, not a Jitters one.</p><p>She stared at him. Caitlin stared at him, with brown eyes and light brown hair. She stared at him, but took a sip of the coffee.</p><p>‘Perfect.’, she breathed out, tears in her eyes.</p><p>‘So why do you and Frost have the same taste in coffee?’</p><p>‘It’s a long story.’, Caitlin was definitely crying.</p><p>Cisco didn’t feel much better. But he smiled at her, as widely as he could.</p><p>‘Well, we’ve got time. And we’ve got coffee, and The Flash is dying to properly meet you.’</p><p>She flinched. ‘Didn’t Frost stab him with an icicle?’</p><p>Cisco grinned. ‘She sure did. But Barry’s excited to meet you, Caitlin.’</p><p>Tears fell down her cheeks and Cisco snapped at that. Again, he didn’t hesitate, stepped close and wrapped his arms around her. There was a flash of color and electricity, and Caitlin’s cup of coffee disappeared from her hands.</p><p>And then she was hugging him back, crying and telling him how scared she was, how she hadn’t been in control in so long, how it was his voice, calling her name that made her come back. How much she missed him.</p><p>Cisco took a deep breath and tried his best to calm her down. When her sobbing turned to sniffles, Caitlin looked into his eyes with a lot of hesitation.</p><p>‘Come on.’, he smiled. ‘Your coffee’s getting cold and we could send Barry to Jitters, but Matthew’s working now and I’m going to be honest with you, he makes the worst damn lattes on the planet.’</p><p>Weakly, Caitlin chuckled. But then she straightened her back and wiped her face, clearly getting ready for a long night ahead of her.</p><p>‘Take me to Flash, please. I have to apologize to him, and he has my coffee.’</p><p>Cisco led the way, but he held her hand through it all, through meeting Barry and talking about what happened to them after the particle accelerator explosion. Through promising Caitlin that they will work together on helping her, her and Frost too.</p><p>And, in a whisper, Cisco promised to always make her a good cup of coffee, just as she liked it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day2: Chance Meet / Meet Cute</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Five times Caitlin doesn’t meet Cisco, and one time she does.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Caitin was not interested in romance. Sure, she spent a lot of time growing up thinking about her wedding dress and sure, there were boys in highschool that she fooled around with, but she had more important things to do than date.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finish medical school.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Help people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Save lives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had no time for dating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So it was surprising, when a stranger caught her eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>After graduation, her mother took her out to lunch. It was all very proper, a super fancy fusion restaurant, and Caitlin couldn’t wait for it to be over. She was going to meet up with a few colleagues and go to a club afterwards. Even if she hated clubbing and barely knew these people, she was going to have a lot more fun than with her mother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as they were eating dessert (it was vegan and tasted like chalk), her eyes fell on a head of glorious dark curls. She blinked in confusion when she realized the hair was attached to a guy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had darker skin and chubby cheeks, full lips and a tight smile on his face. He was good looking, but the smile on his face was pained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shared a table with three other people, his parents and maybe his brother, judging by the resemblance. All the other people were clearly enjoying themselves, talking and laughing, but the guy with the curls was clearly not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t talking, his smile was fake and he was trying to eat the food, but Caitlin didn’t think he was enjoying that, either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he ran a hand through his long, dark hair, the curls bounced beautifully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Eat your food, Caitlin. You said you wanted something sweet.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blinked, coming back to herself. Right, lunch with her mother. The sooner she finished eating, the quicker she wouldn't be forced to fake enjoyment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wordlessly, Caitlin went back to her chalk flavored dessert.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Two ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin was not interested in romance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when she saw the guy with the gorgeous curls in line at Jitters one morning, she did not go over to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hair was just as gorgeous as she remembered. His face, still chubby and adorable, but with a hint of sexyness around his mouth and eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin looked at the rest of him, down his chest, to the Batman shirt he was wearing, and lower still to the dark jeans. There was a laptop bag on his shoulder, his sneakers were bright yellow and he was anxiously rubbing his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His backside wasn’t unpleasant. Not at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Caitlin had a job interview, so she took her coffee and left.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Three ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>She had only worked at the hospital for three months, but Caitlin knew that this wasn’t what she wanted to do. Not exactly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thrill of saving a life was incredible, but the pain of losing one was far more than Caitlin could handle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was thinking of other options. That’s what she did any spare moment she had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking down the hallways of the hospitals, on her way to the break room, she stopped thinking because she saw a flash of beautiful dark curls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was in the emergency room, bleeding from a cut on his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone was stitching him up. He was talking, a lot and animatedly, even as he winced in pain every now and then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin did a foolish thing. She stopped in her walk, made herself look like she was busy, like she had any business being in the emergency room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She placed herself close enough to be able to hear him. He was talking about being at work, his first day working at Star Labs, and how he got hurt in a silly accident, a spare part falling on his face. He was clearly upset about what first impression he made, but he was also incredibly excited to be working at Star Labs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At one point, his eyes moved around and they fell on Caitlin. Of course, she was watching him, so their eyes locked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t stop talking with the nurse that was stitching him up, but he did look at Caitlin and he smiled, just a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled back, cheeks on fire, and she ran out of there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin spent the rest of the day thinking about how even his voice was beautiful.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Four ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t apply for a job at Star Labs because of the guy with soft curls. Really, she didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin applied because of the opportunity. She was still going to help people and save lives, but in a different way than what she was doing in the hospital. Research and Development was something that Caitlin could do well, incredibly well, and it will make her happier than the hospital.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she applied for a job on the particle accelerator project, and she went in for the job interview.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Caitlin waited in the lobby, he got off the elevator and walked out of the building. He was on the phone with someone called Hartley, and they were arguing about something clearly work related.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, Caitlin understood only half of the words that he said, and she understood less than a quarter of the concepts he was talking about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the first time, she realized that the beautiful guy with the gorgeous curls was also smart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And for the first time, Caitlin wanted to go talk to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she didn’t, because she was there for an interview.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Five ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Doctor Wells gave her a tour of the place. Not all of it, Star Labs was huge, but the parts she would need to know immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And this is the Engineering department. Please ignore all curses and yells, two of our most brilliant minds are quite-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You asshole!’, a familiar voice yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘-juvenile.’, Wells finished with a deep sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walls were glass, and Caitlin clearly saw the guy with the gorgeous curls, having a row with another guy. They were both very angry, but they were trying to solve a problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again, Caitlin was surprised by how smart the guy was. She knew that Wells didn’t hire anything less but the best, but this was clear proof of how good he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And judging by the proud glint in Doctor Wells’ eyes as he looked at him and the guy he was arguing with, Caitlin had a feeling that he was more than good, brilliant, the best in his field.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a deep breath, Caitlin followed Wells in another part of the lab. She pushed away all thoughts of the curly guy. She knew that if she started thinking about how there was a chance they will actually meet, it’ll drive her crazy.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Plus One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You better not be eating my pizza pockets!’, a very igdinant voice startled Caitlin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was in the kitchen closest to her lab, on her break. It was too early for lunch, so Caitlin had a snack. She hadn’t even bothered sitting down at a table, so she was leaning against it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was easy for her to turn around, so her cheeks were still filled with food when her eyes met his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because it was him, glaring at her from the open doorway. The guy with the beautiful long curs, and they were even more beautiful from so close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was more beautiful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘They’re my pizza pockets.’, Caitlin finally said, showing him the box. ‘See? They have my name on it.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh.’, he frowned. ‘Well, in that case, can I steal one of your pizza pockets? I’m hungry.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blinked, surprised. It quickly turned into amusement, because the guy was giving her some serious puppy eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wordlessly, Caitlin extended the box to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grinned before all but bouncing to her side. As his snack was heating up in the microwave, he turned the box over and paused, visibly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Snow. That’s Doctor Snow, right? You’re new here.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin nodded, feeling herself blush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy smiled at her, just a little, but very gentle. ‘Doctor Wells spoke very highly of you. I’ve… I’ve been curious.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blushed harder, but managed to not run away screaming. ‘Is that why this is the first time I’m seeing you in this kitchen?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Uh, well’, he winced, ‘I’m actually just in search of food. My lab colleague threw away all of my snacks.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The microwave dinged, then, and the guy happily started eating his pizza pocket. Caitlin had finished with hers, but she… didn’t leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And the guy kept looking at her as he ate. It didn’t make her feel uncomfortable, not at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘So, Doctor Snow-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Caitlin.’, she interrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled. ‘Caitlin. You look familiar. Have I seen you before?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, her heart started going crazy. But he was watching her in a very soft way, genuinely curious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Caitlin did something foolish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You haven’t told me your name.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco.’, he grinned. ‘I’m Cisco Ramon.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitin was not interested in romance. But when Cisco grinned at her like that, wide and carefree, she had a feeling he could change her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco.’, she breathed out. ‘I’m going to tell you a story about some long, bouncy curls that caught my eye.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His fingers went up to the tips of his hair. He frowned, clearly not understanding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin smiled. She wasn’t looking for romance, but if it found her, she wasn’t going to refuse it. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Day3: High School / College</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Five times Cisco was forced to spend time with Caitlin, and one time he wasn’t.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cisco liked people, in general. He liked meeting new people, he liked being around people, he liked talking to people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually, Cisco liked everyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a couple of exceptions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco hated Hartley Rathaway, because the guy was always trying to best him in every class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco despised Professor Wells, because he always took Hartley's side, even if he was in the wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Cisco loathed Caitlin Snow, because… Because.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There wasn't a big, good enough reason for it, but there were a lot of smaller ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every time they had interacted throughout their three years of highschool, she always said something that pushed Cisco's wrong buttons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like she thought he was beneath her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like she thought he was an idiot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like she thought he had never done anything good in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like she thought he didn't matter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it was really frustrating, because Cisco thought they could have been friends. And she was… really pretty.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was smart, and everybody knew it. So he did a lot of tutoring, to younger people, but some in his class, too. It was all very legit, organized through the school and he even got paid for it. Sure, it was about an icecream cone an hour, but it was something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Almost every day, after school, he spent an hour or two in the library, tutoring someone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a Tuesday, so he was with Mary. She was a freshman, very shy and quiet, but not as stupid as everyone thought. She needed a little help with math, needed someone to explain the solving algorithms to her in a different way than her teacher did. Cisco was that person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every Tuesday, Snow was in the library with Josie, a colleague of Mary’s, tutoring her at biology. Usually, they didn’t interact at all, too busy doing their own thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But on that frightful Tuesday, they finished at the same time. Cisco, being the polite gentleman his mama taught him to be, he reached for the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he did that, there was an alarm blaring, red lights turned on, and the door snapped shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girls immediately panicked. So did Cisco, but he managed to keep his cool, at least on the outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>First, he checked the alarm system by the door. When that didn’t reveal anything except an obvious ‘LOCKDOWN’, he went over to the computer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he typed away, Caitlin came by his side, speaking in a whisper so that the younger girls wouldn’t hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘We’re all alone here, I can’t find the librarian.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I saw him walking out ten minutes ago. Probably for a smoke.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She huffed, annoyed, but it was quickly gone. ‘What’s happening?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco paused in his typing, because she sounded… unsure. Maybe afraid. Slowly, he looked at her and yes, she was definitely afraid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Cisco pushed down his instinct to snark at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘The room went on automatic lockdown. As far as I can tell, there’s nothing wrong, it’s just a bug.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What sort of bug?’, she frowned and covered her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled, a little. ‘A computer bug.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh.’, she lowered her hand and shook her head. ‘Can you fix it? No, wait, how are you…’ Her eyes grew wide as she looked at the computer screen. ‘Why do you have access to the alarm system?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I… don’t. I may be using the… You know what? I better not tell you. Plausible deniability and all.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin stared at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Look.’, he raised his voice, catching the attention of the younger girls. ‘It’s just a bug, nothing’s actually wrong. But I can’t fix it from here, we need to call the company who set up the system.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Well, do that!’, Mary said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I can’t.’, Cisco said slowly, looking at Caitlin. ‘The principal needs to do it, because-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I got his number.’, Caitlin reached for her phone. ‘I’ll call him.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco narrowed his eyes at her. A student having the principal’s number was… weird. Still, she called, and the principal answered. It took a couple of calls and about a half hour, but the company was working on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, it was going to take a couple of hours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they all called their parents, Cisco put on his big boy pants.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Right. Since we’re stuck here, I say we do our homework. I’m gonna go get us snacks.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Let’s set up here.’, Caitlin pointed to the best table in the library, because it had outlets nearby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s what they did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all sat down around the table, and for the next three hours, they did their homework. They had snacks that Cisco got from the vending machine, Caitlin played some chill music on her laptop, Mary and Josie actually spent time working on schoolwork, between gossiping about their friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Cisco finished his homework, and then some.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But after they were all done, they were still stuck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Wanna play truth or dare?’, Mary grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No!’, Cisco and Caitlin said strongly, sharing a look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘But we’re bored!’, Josie whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘We could read.’, Caitlin offered. ‘We are in a library.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone else pulled a face at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Let’s watch a movie.’, Cisco suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘All the movies here are ancient.’, Mary pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah. So we can pick a sciency one and point out all the things wrong with it. Scientifically.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girls didn’t seem convinced, but they went with it and accepted Back to the Future.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made camp on the single couch in the library, Cisco sitting down on the floor in front of it, painfully aware of the fact that Caitlin’s legs were very close to his back, but not quite touching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco did most of the talking. He pointed out all the things wrong with the movie, math and physics, and ended up going on a spiel about time travel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the girls listened. They rolled their eyes at first, but after that, they grew curious and they actually engaged in a conversation with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time they were released from the library, Caitlin was looking at him like he was an unsolvable riddle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Outside of the school, Cisco waited until the younger girls got picked up. Dante was already waiting in their dad’s car, but Caitlin’s ride was nowhere in sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Mom’s working.’, she said, stiffly. ‘I’m going to get a cab.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No.’, he shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin instantly glared. ‘Yes, I can take care of myself, thank you very much.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Well, my mom raised two gentlemen, so either you let Dante give you a ride, or we’re gonna follow your cab and make sure you get home safely.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You…’, she sighed. ‘You actually mean that.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco just raised an eyebrow, and pointed to the car. ‘After you, my brother's waiting.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With another sigh, Caitlin made her way to the car, where Dante was shamelessly gaping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You actually brought a girl. A hot girl.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Please excuse my brother.’, Cisco punched his shoulder. ‘He’s a jerk, but he’s a pretty good driver. So, what’s your address?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shily, Caitlin told them. The ride was silent, awkwardly so, with Dante’s eyes moving from the road, to Cisco, then Caitlin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they got to her ridiculously expensive house, Cisco held the door open for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Thank you.’, she said, but it came out as a question, paired with a strong frown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’m not an asshole, you know.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She raised an unbelieving eyebrow at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Okay, I am an asshole.’, Cisco relented. ‘But not when it comes to the important stuff, like making sure a pretty girl gets home safely.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was only after the words were out of his mouth, that he realized what he had admitted to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin blushed, beautifully so. ‘You think I’m pretty?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blushed too, and ignored the question. ‘I’ll see you later, Caitlin.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah, sure.’, she said slowly, still frowning at him. ‘Thanks for the ride.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco got into the car, and made Dante wait until she was safely inside her house. She paused before closing the door, smiling, a little, at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What was that?’, Dante asked with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I don’t know.’, Cisco admitted. ‘And I don’t actually want to know.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His brother didn’t point out the evident lie.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Two ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>A few weeks later, Caitlin and Cisco got paired up together in chemistry lab.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, Caitlin was her usual cold self, because she assumed that Cisco knew absolutely nothing about chemistry and she’ll have to do all the work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But after he proved that it wasn’t like that at all, she started looking at him in another way. Again, she looked like she had a mystery to solve. Cisco had no idea what to make of it, so he ignored it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They aced the experiment, and not once had they argued. Cisco didn’t even get angry, not at all, which was a first when it came to Caitlin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the end of the class, she actually smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Thank you for the help.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco snorted. ‘Who hurt you before? We’re all supposed to be here to learn!’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes, but…’, she shrugged. ‘Most people can’t keep up with me.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh, I definitely can’t keep up with you when it comes to chemistry and biology, but-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I can’t keep up with you in math and physics.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘But’, he went on, ‘we work pretty well together.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes, we do.’, Caitlin was blushing. ‘It’s surprising.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t, from where Cisco was standing. He always thought they could work well together, if they’d manage not to be at each other’s throats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You’re still an asshole.’, she pointed out, but it was said around a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Cisco grinned at her. ‘And you’re still cold and stuck-up. Doesn’t make us less brilliant.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Miss Snow, Mr. Ramon.’, their teacher was glaring. ‘Please take your flirting to the hallway.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, they both blushed like crazy and ran out of there. They didn’t speak for the rest of the day, but Cisco spent most of it thinking about her.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Three ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a Friday, and Cisco was on his way to the library. He was tutoring Mack, a super intelligent freshman who was more interested in math than he was in history.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t make it to the library.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On his way there, he saw Mack on the ground, as two older guys were beating the shit out of him. The guys were in Cisco’s year and they were the absolute scum of the earth, the worst bullies at school.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, they were also football players, so ridiculously large and a lot stronger than Cisco.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But… Cisco was smarter and thankfully, he was really close to the janitor’s closet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a bucket that was filled with water and he put in dishwasher liquid. A lot of dishwasher liquid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Back in the hallway, he was as silent as possible as he got close to the ruckus. When he poured the bucket on the floor, in their direction, that made a sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the assholes were too busy slipping on the soapy water to pay any attention to Cisco.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After they were on the ground, groaning in pain, Cisco didn’t hesitate for a moment, he started pushing the soles of his feet to their faces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, it didn’t last long. One of them got up and punched Cisco in the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His nose was bleeding, and he kind of screamed when it happened. But that was a good thing, because the librarian heard it and he came running, effectively stopping the fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco spent an hour waiting outside the principal’s office, and all of ten minutes inside of it with his mother. He got detention, every day for a month, after his tutoring lessons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two assholes got suspended for two weeks, and two weeks of community service for the school, afterwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He counted that as a win.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The principal said the nurse was still in her office, so they stopped by there before leaving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin was there. Cisco was dying to ask why, but his nose was still bleeding, it had gotten a pretty nasty purple color, and his mom was by his side, giving him a pretty nasty lecture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The nurse made Caitlin clean Cisco up, which was incredibly painful and equally awkward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All the while, as Caitlin cleaned him up and the nurse bandaged his nose after deeming it not broken, Cisco’s mother kept yelling at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Mack’s alright, you know.’, Caitlin said loudly at one point, effectively shutting up Cisco’s mother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘He is?’, Cisco looked at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Bruises and a sprained wrist, but he’ll be alright. It would have been much worse if you wouldn’t have turned up when you did.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That… actually made Cisco feel a lot better, despite the tears in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Why were they after Mack?’, Caitlin asked gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘They caught Mack and Anthony making out in the locker room last week.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Anthony?’, she frowned. ‘The football team captain?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah. They couldn’t go after him, so they went after Mack.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’m sorry you got hurt.’, Caitlin gently touched his knee. ‘But you did good.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco’s mother looked ready to throw a fit, but the nurse cut her off, agreeing with Caitlin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You’ll be fine, Mr. Ramon.’, the nurse said. ‘I’ll write you something for the pain, and the bruise is going to take a long while to recede, but you’re going to be alright.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Thank you.’, his mom said stiffly. Then she ushered Cisco out, but he still paused in the doorway, when he realized Caitlin was gathering her things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Do you need a ride?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No.’, she smiled. ‘My mom’s picking me up, but thank you.’ Her eyes moved to his mother. ‘You raised a very polite gentleman.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That surprised the older woman, and she spent the car ride home asking Cisco about Caitlin. He dodged most of the questions, kept thinking about how gentle she was when she was cleaning the blood off his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And about how he was getting used to seeing the look on Caitlin’s face, like she was trying to solve a puzzle, and he was the solution.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Four ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco spent the next week in detention all alone. Just him, and the librarian, alone in a classroom. He spent that time doing his homework, so it wasn’t all terrible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the first day of the second week, Caitlin was sitting at a desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco just… stared, for a while, until the librarian told him to sit down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a daze, he sat down next to Caitlin. She never got detention. Never, in three and a half years of highschool. Not once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What are you doing here?’, he whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I got detention, d’uh.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What for?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I may have accidentally spilled coffee on a teacher.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow, Cisco didn’t buy that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And I got detention every day for the next three weeks.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, Cisco definitely didn’t buy that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Caitlin was smiling at him, with a small blush on her cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What are you doing?’, he whispered, again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blushed harder, and looked away from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Maybe you could help me with my math homework.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Do you need help with your math homework?’, Cisco asked, incredulously. She was a straight A student.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No.’, Caitlin smiled, looked at him again. ‘Help me anyway?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco understood something, then. That she got detention to spend time with him. It… made no sense, and yet…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Help me anyway?’, she said again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah, of course.’, he didn’t hesitate. ‘Yeah.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That day and for the next three weeks, Caitlin and Cisco spent two hours in detention together. They used the first one to do their homework, and used the second one to talk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Get to know each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, but surely, Caitlin Snow’s icy personality melted away, when she was with Cisco.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t think he was beneath her, anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t think he was an idiot, anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t think he never did anything good in his life, anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t think he didn’t matter, anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She started liking him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Cisco… had always liked her. Under all the annoyance and anger, he had always liked her, a terrible amount.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Five ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Senior year meant that everyone was scrambling for extracurricular activities. Most colleges required it, and most students didn’t do anything about it for the first three years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was pretty okay on that front, but he still needed one more. So he ended up on the prom committee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They put him in charge of setting up the audio, video and lights, and it was okay. He just needed to do some tests and set it all up the day before, they didn’t actually need Cisco there all the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he was there, at every meeting, pitching in and saying his opinion. Because Caitlin was in charge of everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She got detention for Cisco, so Cisco joined the prom committee for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neither of them actually mentioned it, but it was getting harder and harder for Cisco to not say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So the last day before prom, he took a chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin was beyond stressed, putting together last minute details. She only got to Cisco’s side after everyone else had left and the gym was pretty much set up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Did you-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yup, the speakers are connected to the DJ station.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And did you-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yup, the tv’s are all set to play whatever you’ll put on the computer in the back.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes, the light controls are by the DJ station.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Are you sure?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco smiled at her, indulgent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Sorry.’, she all but whined. ‘I’m just a little stressed.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Understatement of the year, that was. Cisco chuckled, and he gathered strength from the smile Caitlin threw his way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Hey, you are going to prom, right?’, he asked slowly. ‘I mean, after you slaved over all this, you are going. Right?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Of course I’m going, yeah. I’m going dress shopping with Mom after this.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cutting it real close.’, Cisco pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’ve been busy.’, she glared, but it lacked strength.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Were you too - too busy to find a date?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco blushed furiously, but he didn’t look away from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin seemed surprised, her eyes growing wide. ‘I was definitely too busy to find a date, yes.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallowed very thickly, but pushed the words out. ‘You wanna… go with me?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blinked. ‘To prom?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Like… a date?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah.’, he swallowed. ‘If you want.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I…’ Caitlin let out a shaky breath, before she smiled a little, looking embarrassed. ‘I could have found the time to find a date. But I didn’t want to.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘That’s okay.’, Cisco said quickly, managing to smile. ‘It’s fine, really. I’ll see you there, anyway, it’s no-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco.’, she grabbed his hand. ‘I didn’t want to find a date because I was waiting for you to ask me.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That shut him up. Completely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin smiled, a little shakily. Squeezed his fingers once before letting go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘So what color is your tie? Maybe I can find a dress to match.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Gold.’, Cisco said, voice barely above a whisper. ‘My bow tie is gold.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His cheeks felt like they were on fire and his heart was beating faster than ever. But Caitlin’s cheeks were also red, and she was smiling softly at him, with a spark of excitement in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Text me later?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes.’, he said quickly. ‘Yes, sure. I’m…’, he winced. ‘Mom is probably going to want pictures. And Dante’s gonna be an asshole.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin chuckled. ‘I can’t wait.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, Cisco’s heart was never going to calm down.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Plus One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin did not get a gold dress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was black, simple and short, with a deep cleavage that was covered by see through black mesh. But her shoes were gold and glittery, and so was her makeup and Cisco stopped breathing when she opened the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prom was pretty amazing, considering they never left each other’s sides. They fixed problems with the tech, they shook all the teacher’s hands. They danced, they took pictures together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was amazing, and at the end of the night, as he walked her back to her door, Cisco’s fingers were gripping Caitlin’s tightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had a whole speech planned, words to convince her to agree to another date with him, but Caitlin cut him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco’, she breathed out, ‘I don’t know why we spent three years hating each other.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallowed. ‘Yeah. I’m really glad that changed.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Me too.’, Caitlin smiled. ‘This was the best time I had in highschool.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yet.’, he straightened his back. ‘Best time, yet. If you’ll let me try again.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile grew, and she bit on her lower lip for a moment, before closing the distance between them and pressing her lips to his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco stopped breathing, but that didn’t stop him from kissing her back. It was such a gentle kiss, and it was such a perfect ending to a perfect night, he felt like he could cry from happiness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the kiss stopped, Cisco started grinning. He didn’t stop, not even after he made it home and Dante spent an hour teasing him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Day4: Free Day - Quarantined Together</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Five new things Caitlin learns about Cisco, and one new thing he learns about her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've only stayed home two months, and I went positively insane. If you're still home, I'm sending you and your mind all the <b><i>good vibes</i></b>.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Caitlin was a doctor. She was a bioengeneer, she was a superhero.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You’d think nothing would surprise her anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she was entirely surprised when things kept getting worse and worse, to the point where the entire country went on lockdown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they couldn’t go outside without an important reason, thoroughly documented on a written declaration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they had to wear a mask every time they went out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When there was a virus killing people by the thousands, and nobody could do anything to stop it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin locked herself up in her house, and everyone else at Star Labs did the same. They thought, for a moment, that they could all stay there, just in case they were needed, but Caitlin argued that would be highly detrimental for their mental health.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So they went home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barry and Iris had each other, and Cisco videocalled Caitlin every day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was still… bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the end of week one, Caitlin’s anxiety was through the roof and everytime she watched the news she had a panic attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt helpless, and it brought her great pain, to be unable to help. She felt anxious, because she didn’t know what would happen next, or how much worse it would get. When it would end.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She never said anything, but Cisco knew her. So he asked, late one night when they both couldn’t sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Look, so here’s the thing. You haven’t gone out for a week, and I haven’t gone out for a week. So we’re pretty safe, right?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin tilted her head. ‘Yes. And?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And I can open up a breach in the middle of your living room and come pick you up.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t ask, out front, but Caitlin understood it either way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If it were a normal circumstance, she would have spent a lot of time thinking about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But this was nowhere near a normal circumstance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Caitlin packed a bag, emptied her fridge and pantry, and brought all of her cleaning supplies. And she moved in with Cisco.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco offered her the bed, but Caitlin declined. She knew the couch was comfortable enough for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, he helped her set it up, and he offered her a space for her clothes in his dresser, a drawer in his bathroom, his best towels.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And after that, he changed into pajamas and came by to ask, once again, if she needed anything else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was wearing dark blue pajama bottoms, a loose gray tank top and… Christmas socks. In the middle of March.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had cute reindeers on them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No, thank you.’, Caitlin said slowly, staring at his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Don’t judge me.’, he said, hotly. ‘It’s ridiculous, to have socks and just wear them one month a year. Totally stupid.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin bit on her lower lip to keep herself from laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘They’re cute.’, she admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes, they are.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You’re cute.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco blinked, surprised. ‘I am?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oops, she shouldn’t have said that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Good night, Cisco.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a moment, but he rolled his eyes before returning the sentiment.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Two ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, it annoyed Caitlin, the fact that Cisco played music in the shower and he sang along to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But after two weeks, she got used to it. It wasn’t so bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had a surprisingly good voice, and the songs he chose, Caitlin didn’t hate them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she realized this, she also realized that she had been living with Cisco in close quarters for two weeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They cooked and ate together, always too much, always delicious. They ordered groceries together, bending over the app and negotiating who was going to pay for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They watched tv together, a lot of it. One day, Caitlin chose, the next was Cisco’s turn. But they always paid attention, no matter whose turn it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They cleaned together. Washed every piece of groceries, did their laundry together, took turns vacuuming and dusting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the quarantine grew longer and longer, Caitlin started stealing Cisco’s clothes. She really did not pack enough pajamas and comfortable clothes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They worked together, side by side at the table in Cisco’s kitchen. It was boring work, making their way through Star Labs’ backlog.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was surprising, to Caitlin, how easily she got used to living with Cisco.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And when he sang in the shower, she eventually started smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Especially when he sang her favorite songs.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Three ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Logically speaking, Caitlin knew that Cisco spoke Spanish. But she didn’t know that he actually spoke it when he talked to his mother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not all the conversation was in Spanish, but Cisco used certain words and expressions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He spoke with his mother every other day, even if it was just for five minutes. He always got softer around the edges, spoke gently and smiled a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin knew that after Dante died, Cisco got a lot closer to his parents, especially his mom. She didn’t know the whole truth, about Vibe, but she knew that Cisco worked with The Flash. She was worried, Cisco said, but she understood that he was doing good in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was an unspoken thing, but Cisco didn’t tell his mother that Caitlin was living with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But sometime in week three, Caitlin missed the fact that he was on the phone with her, and called his name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes grew wide, looking at Caitlin in horror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then he rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No, Mama, it’s not some zorra, it’s Caitlin.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He listened to whatever his mother said in response, and sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘It’s not like that. We just… didn’t want to be alone right now.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Sorry.’, Caitlin mouthed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘We’re so used to seeing each other every day, I don’t think we would have managed being alone in quarantine. And we miss the rest of the team, yeah, but at least we have each other.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mother said something that made him smile. Then, he winced, and pulled the phone away from his ear, pushing a button.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You’re on speaker, Mama.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin’s eyes grew wide, because she only met the woman once, at the dreadful party for Dante’s birthday.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Caitlin, mi hija, how are you?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Hello, Mrs. Ramon.’, she said politely. ‘I’m alright, thank you. And how are you?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Better than I thought I’d be.’, the woman chuckled. ‘We’re keeping busy. My husband started fixing everything creaking in this house, and I have been catching up on all the books I didn’t have time to read in my lifetime.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘That’s good.’, Caitlin smiled. ‘I’m glad to hear it, Mrs. Ramon.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman hummed. ‘Tell me, Caitlin, is my son treating you right?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco immediately rolled his eyes, blushing slightly, but it made Caitlin’s smile grow. There was something underlining the woman’s question, and she didn’t want to address it. She knew that Mrs. Ramon knew what her and Cisco’s relationship was like, and it was just… motherly concern. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she smiled, looking at Cisco with a teasing look. ‘You raised a perfect gentleman, Mrs. Ramon. And beyond that, you raised a beautiful human being. He’s taking good care of me.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘We’re taking care of each other.’, Cisco said softly, smiling gently at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their eyes met for a long moment, and Caitlin felt like she wanted to blush. She didn’t. At least, she hoped she didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Hey, Mama.’, Cisco said, grinning. ‘How about next time we do a video call? You and Dad, me and Cait?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Ai, dios mio.’, the woman sighed, evidently distressed. ‘How do you expect me to do that? You know we don’t know technology like you do.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco laughed. ‘It’s easier than setting up the DVR, Mama. I’ll tell you.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco.’, the woman groaned. ‘I don’t know how to set up the DVR.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all laughed at that, said their goodbyes and ended the call.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco looked at Caitlin with a questioning sort of look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Do you mind?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took but a moment for Caitlin to think about it. ‘No, I don’t. It’s a good idea, the video call. They’re going to like seeing you.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed. ‘Maybe we can wear something other than pajamas. So that we seem like we got our shit together.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin laughed at that, loudly. But she was actually very pleased that Cisco wanted her there for the video call. It was an odd feeling, but she embraced it.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Four ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>They’ve been living together for four weeks to the day, when Cisco changed the status quo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually, when they watched tv, they were on opposite ends of the couch, Caitlin was wrapped up in a blanket, and Cisco’s legs were on the coffee table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But on that day, they stayed up later than usual, engrossed in the show they were watching. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was around 2 AM when Cisco groaned, mumbled something about his back hurting and promptly plonked himself over Caitlin. Well, he rested his head on her lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin froze, metaphorically speaking, but only for a moment. Then, she relaxed, and made herself comfortable, resting her hands on his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed, and they were silent for another episode or so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when that ended, Cisco closed the tv and turned around, so that his back was to the couch and he was looking up at Caitlin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Do you think it’s weird? That we’re so… good at living together?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wasn’t that the question of the month.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘It is weird.’, Caitlin nodded. ‘But I don’t mind it. Not at all.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She may have said too much, with those simple words. She was definitely blushing, and the intense way Cisco was looking at her was not helping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she looked away to the side. Involuntary, her eyes fell on Cisco’s waist. Because of the way he moved, his sleeping shirt rode up, and his pajama pants had ridden down and...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a tattoo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin didn’t think about the amount of skin she was seeing, and the surprising neon green underwear, because Cisco had a tattoo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tattoo was pretty large, starting next to his belly button and going around the side of his torso. Caitlin didn’t understand what it was, and it wasn’t because she was looking at it upside down. It looked like a puzzle, like it was made out of different pieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What are you… oh.’, Cisco whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin didn’t turn to look at his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah, you’ve never seen it, have you?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco got up, taking a deep breath. He stood up in front of her, and lifted his shirt so that Caitlin could see the tattoo properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was right, it was a piece made out of smaller pieces. They were nine doodles, it looked like, just a mess of black lines. In those lines, Caitlin managed to make out a tree, a dice and maybe a hat. Maybe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco used a finger to point out at each of the parts. ‘Dante, Barry, Iris, Wally, Harry, Jesse, Nora, Ronnie and you.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last two were a very crude cup of coffee and an electrocardiogram line.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You guys drew them.’, Cisco said slowly. ‘I mean, doddled them in the corners of notebooks or lab files.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin took a moment to compose herself. Slowly, she took Cisco’s wrist and made him pull down his shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat down on the coffee table in front of Caitlin, looking at her. There was a blush around his cheeks, but it was barely there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘It took awhile to track down all of them. I mean, you and Barry were pretty easy, but Iris barely uses paper anymore and don’t get me started on Harry.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Why?’, Caitlin asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco shrugged, looked away from her. ‘Sometimes, I need something to remind me that.. To remind me how important you are.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That sounded horrible, to Caitlin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No, I mean-’, Cisco sighed and shook his head. ‘Sometimes I need a reminder of what I’ve lost and what I’ve gained. This is… this works, for me. And, I mean’, he faked a chuckle, ‘it looks pretty cool, right?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes it does.’, Caitlin said gently, before shaking her head and chuckling, forcing herself to move past the moment and the strong emotions she was feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I can’t believe you got a tattoo. You don’t like needles.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco pouted and went on a spiel, and they moved past the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t, though. For the rest of the night, Caitlin thought about Cisco and all these new, little things she had found out about him in the time they spent in such close quarters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Really, it wasn’t a surprise that she was in love with him. What was surprising was that she only realized it now.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Five ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>All it took was a salad, and a tiny bit of blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin was chopping up vegetables for a salad, and she was paying attention to what Cisco was saying. She was paying too much attention, because she nicked her wrist with the knife.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She yelped, in surprise more than anything, and Cisco was there in a flash. He grabbed her wrist and took her to the sync, placing it under water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was very gentle, as he dried her skin, put on some antiseptic and covered it in a bandaid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was just a tiny scratch, Cisco was being ridiculous, but Caitlin indulged him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he was done, he smiled up at her, soft and just on this side of teasing. He held her fingers as he brought her hand up, and Cisco pressed his lips softly to the bandaid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up at her, through his eyelashes and it was a look that Caitlin has seen before, a handful of times.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was only then, in that moment, when she realized what it meant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was in love with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, god, Cisco was in love with her. Her heart started beating like crazy, and she couldn’t look away from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You okay?’, he asked softly, before grinning. ‘I’m pretty sure it’ll heal in no time.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes, I’m fine.’, she managed to lie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘It’ll heal even faster if you flash some lights.’, he kept on grinning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin shook her head, finally looking away from his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Let’s focus on dinner.’, she said, but did the exact opposite.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Plus One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>They’ve stayed in quarantine together for 8 weeks and three days. The lockdown had been revoked about half way through, but they were still extra cautious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tomorrow, they were going to go back to Star Labs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin was insistent that even though she and Barry had super healing, the others didn’t. So they were going to keep wearing masks inside, and they were going to be careful. She had already stocked up on cleaning supplies and antibacterial gel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But for tonight, they were still staying in. And making the most of it because even though they hadn’t talked about it, it was clear that Caitlin would be going back home in the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They cooked pizza from scratch, and it was delicious, even if it took a lot of time. They had one last dinner on Cisco’s tiny balcony and then, he took a shower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He came out of the bathroom with his hair puffy as hell, blow dried, and with a hair brush. He didn’t say anything, just gave her puppy eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin rolled her eyes, but opened up her legs. Cisco sat down on the ground in front of her, and gave her the brush as he opened up Netflix.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t press play on the movie they were supposed to be watching, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She started brushing his hair, as gently as possible. It was extra soft and smelled like peaches.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I can’t believe’, he said softly, ‘that we actually pulled this off.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Pulled what off?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Living together. 24/7. For two months.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah.’, Caitlin breathed out, her fingers faltering in his hair. ‘I, uh, I’m actually really glad we did. Really thankful for it, Cisco. I wouldn’t have lasted home alone.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, a little, but didn’t say anything. Caitlin couldn't tell what he was thinking, and she would have paid a lot of money to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bit her lip from saying more, kept on combing his hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘There you go.’, Caitlin said when she was done. ‘You can get up now.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No.’, Cisco whispered. ‘I’d rather not. I’d rather stay right here, and tell you something.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin took a shaky breath. Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder, showing him that she was listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With difficulty, Cisco started talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’ve loved this. Yeah, the world is wrong and what’s happening is… terrifying, to say the least. And we can’t help, and everything is… a mess. But. But, Caitlin…’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a shaky breath, placing his fingers over hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’ve loved having you here. It’s been… incredible. And I’m not ready to let you go.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin’s heart was doing ridiculous things in her chest, her hope was reaching alarming levels and she had never, in her life, loved anyone more than she loved Cisco right then and there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And I’m not just talking about being roommates.’, Cisco chuckled weekly. ‘In case I wasn’t clear.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She should have said something. Caitlin knew that she should find the words to tell Cisco that she felt the same, but she couldn’t. She was shaking too hard, her heart was beating too fast and her mind was whirling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a lot out of her, but she took her hand away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco sighed, very deeply, moving to get up. But when Caitlin put her hands on his neck, he gasped and sat back down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With both hands on Cisco’s neck, she gently pushed, until he got the idea and tilted his head up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a weird position. She was on the couch, he was on the floor between her legs. She was seeing him upside down, his face was distorted, but his eyes were the same. And in that moment, Cisco’s eyes spoke of love and hesitation, and everything else that Caitlin felt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Close your eyes.’, she whispered, and he instantly listened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a weird position, but when Caitlin pressed her lips to Cisco’s, it didn’t matter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The world was burning, everything was changing, there were a billion ways this could go wrong, but in that moment, Caitlin didn’t care about anything other than the soft way Cisco kissed her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they stopped the kiss, Cisco was quick to get off the floor, and he was even quicker to gather her in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t kiss her again, hugged her instead and pressed their cheeks together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little.’, he spoke quickly. ‘You can go back to your apartment, that’s fine. But you’ll come back, right? I mean, you kissed me, so I-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco!’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Sorry.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I just meant that, since you kissed me, then-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pulled away, just enough to be able to look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He faltered, but went on, looking into her eyes. ‘Well, since you kissed me, I figured maybe you’d want to do it again and, I mean, I can’t really take you out on a date, it’s not safe, but-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin cut him off with a kiss, that was a lot more enthusiastic than the one before. A kiss, that took the place of the words she could’t find to say out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The world was fighting a pandemic, and losing. Tomorrow, they will be going back to work. Things will definitely change between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But in that moment, for the first time in what felt like forever, Caitlin wasn’t worried.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Day5: Breakup</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Five times Caitlin breaks up with Cisco, and one time he breaks up with her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Do I get bonus points for *not* making this angsty?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was a running joke with them, from the start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From the moment they got together, both Cisco and Caitlin knew that they were in for the long run. The thought of them breaking up was pretty much unthinkable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because it took them such a long time to get there, to actually get together, because they’ve been through so much together, because they knew each other at their best and at their worst… Because they already loved each other an incredible amount, there really was no way they were going to break up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The joke was Cisco’s doing, because when Caitlin ended their very first kiss, he grumbled about how he was totally going to break up with her if she stopped kissing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin laughed, delighted, and kept on kissing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From then on, breaking up was always a joke between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Two weeks into their relationship, and they made a point to have lunch together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually, throughout the day, they were running up and down Star Labs. They saw each other, talked, but it was always work stuff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Having half an hour of eating next to each other and not working, it was nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco, I swear to god, if you eat the last pizza pocket, I will break up with you.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Caitlin said it, hotly and evidently annoyed, the pizza pocket was halfway through to Cisco’s lips and Barry had just come into the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Uhm.’, the Flash said with wide eyes. ‘I’m gonna-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco ate the pizza pocket, shamelessly. Caitlin gasped in horror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I can’t believe you did that!’, she was angry. ‘You complete and utter-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her voice died down as Cisco silently reached into one of the cupboards and got out another box of pizza pockets. There were three others more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco swallowed the food in his mouth. ‘I knew we were running out, so I got us more.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh.’, Caitlin said gently, clearly surprised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grinned at her. ‘So we’re not breaking up, right?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She chuckled at that, made her way to his side and kissed him sweetly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It went on for a while, until Barry awkwardly cleared his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I just came here for a banana. Maybe an apple.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both laughed at that, not feeling ashamed at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Two ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Six months into their relationship, Caitlin’s birthday rolled around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She told him, early enough, to not go out of his way to buy her something. Caitlin said this because she knew him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco always went out of his way to buy presents. Even when they weren’t dating, he always went out of his way for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco, I will break up with you if you buy me the new microscope I want.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed. ‘And why would you do that?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Because it’s ridiculously expensive!’, Caitlin all but shrieked, and followed that up with a twenty minute long rant and explanation about how in just a few short weeks, they’ll be able to buy it for Star Labs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was right, of course, the microscope was more expensive than all the gifts Cisco had ever brought her, combined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would have totally gotten it for her, but he acknowledged the fact that it would have been a ridiculous waste of his money.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he got Caitlin a different present, instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The trend with wearing chemical structures as jewellery had been around for ages, now. He had even seen Caitlin wearing some trinkets with Serotonin or Dopamine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco went a little further than that, he hired a jeweler to make a necklace. Not with the chemical structure of Serotonin, but the one for an Endorphin. Well, part of it, because it was way too long for it to look nice on a necklace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was gold, and at every intersection of lines, it had a small diamond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah, it was still over the top, but it was Caitlin, and she deserved it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned, when she first saw it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What is this? It’s all… wrong, it’s-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Not wrong, it’s just missing a few other things.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She understood it, then. ‘Endorphin? Why?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cause I get a lot of them when I’m around you.’, Cisco grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did his research. Endorphins played a major role in the body’s inhibitory response to pain. But their release was also responsible for producing an euphoric state. During sex, yes, but also when eating delicious food like chocolate, listenin to music, exercising, laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin smiled, very lovingly, clearly understanding his thought process. He helped her put the necklace on, and she kissed him very sweetly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Okay’, she whispered against his lips, ‘I won’t break up with you yet.’</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Three ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>A year into their relationship, they had just moved in together, and Cisco was getting really tired of being kidnapped by evil assholes that were hellbent on ending the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he was especially pissed off by evil assholes using his tech against him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How the asshole got hold of matacuffs, Cisco had no idea. But because of them, it took him five days to escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, no, he didn’t manage to escape, it took five days for the team to find him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Five very long days, in which Cisco got beaten up with fist and baseball bats, electrocuted three times, lost a tooth, got a broken rib and almost his entire body covered in bruises and cuts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torture was a bitch, but the relief he felt when he saw Flash and Killer Frost burst open the door, it was sweeter than ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later, hours later, after he was cleaned up, bandaged and with morphine in his system, Caitlin started crying as she snuggled up beside him in their new bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘If you ever get hurt like this again, I’m going to break up with you.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco laughed, a little, as much as his broken rib allowed him to. Then he told her he loved her, and passed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Four ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>A year and a half into their relationship, Cisco woke up with the worst hangover of his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin was in the kitchen, glaring at him strongly, even if she made him food and coffee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I will break up with you if you ever go out drinking with Frost again.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco winced, vividly remembering the night before. And yeah, Caitlin was right. He really should never let Frost rope him into drinking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Never again.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Five ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Two years into their relationship, Cisco realized that the worst thing about being a superhero was the aftermath of battles. Sometimes, there were funerals. Sometimes, there were nights spent in the medlab.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Other times, there were nights spent with Caitlin crying in his arms. This time, it was his fault.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They saved the day, but for a while there, they almost didn’t. For a while there, Cisco was absolutely sure they weren’t going to make it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had an idea, and even though he knew without a shadow of a doubt it would kill him, he did it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was dead for a full three minutes, according to Caitlin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She brought him back, though, saved his life. And she had not stopped crying since he opened his eyes. Cisco held her, fully aware that neither of them were going to sleep that night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as the sun was coming up, Caitlin leveled him with a look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You’re not doing that, again. You’re not going to sacrifice yourself in order to save the world. Do you understand? I’ll break up with you, Cisco, I swear I will.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was as emotional as she was, but Cisco couldn’t help but smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You can’t break up with me if I’m dead.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin glared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And’, he went on, 'I can’t promise I won’t do it again. You’d do the same.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She deflated at that, didn’t look so confrontational anymore, because she knew it was true.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing else was said on the matter. They just snuggled and watched the sunset together, and Caitlin did, eventually, stop crying.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Plus One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>They have been dating for three and a half years when Cisco started thinking about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mostly, he was oscillating between feeling terrified and sometimes, excited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the past week, he had been feeling absolutely terrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yesterday, he felt utterly excited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right now, he was back to feeling terrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were on vacation, an actual proper vacation, two full weeks off, for the first time ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The California sun was melting his insides, but the ocean was nice and cool and the beach house they rented was incredibly cozy. They had only two more days left, and Cisco couldn’t wait anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was close to their bedtime, night had fallen a long time ago, but they were still outside, feet in the sand, watching the stars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco started with saying her name, and the tone of it was enough for Caitlin to understand that he was being serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’m going to have to break up with you.’, he said slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin’s expression immediately changed, she looked genuinely afraid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I don’t want you to be my girlfriend, anymore.’, Cisco went on with a shaky breath. ‘I want you to be my wife.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he had brought just after they rented the beach house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Caitlin, well… she started crying, punched his shoulder, called him awful, and kissed him deeply.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Day6: Arranged Marriage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Five times Caitlin falls a little in love with Cisco, and one time he falls in love with her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The trouble with this particular fic is that <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/14964542/chapters/34769186">I’VE ALREADY WRITTEN IT TWO YEARS AGO</a>, from a metahuman perspective. So this is an AU where there’s no metahumans and, like… a world where arranged marriages are the only way to go and I hate this world, thx.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Caitlin knew this would be her life from a very young age. It was surprising she had gotten this far, really.</p><p>She was turning 27 in a few months, and she was still unmarried. Coming from the family she did, the wealth and reputation they had, she should have been married for years, now.</p><p>The only reason why her mother postponed it so much was because of the work Caitlin was doing. Going into research after medical school, she was constantly working on some pretty important projects at Tannhauser Industries.</p><p>But the whispers and talks in the world had gotten too bad and too loud, so Carla started looking for suitable husbands for Caitlin.</p><p>Most girls got a say in whom they married. The decision was still taken by their parents, but usually, they were asked.</p><p>The only thing Carla asked Caitlin was if she preferred brains over looks. She said ‘yes’ without a hesitation, and the older woman admitted that she had narrowed it down to two men, and that Caitlin just made the final decision.</p><p>It was a surprising one.</p><p>Francisco Ramon was a newcomer. He was wealthy, but he hadn’t always been. He built his fortune and his company on his own, without the help of his last name or his parent’s reputation.</p><p>He was incredibly smart, ambitious and resourceful. But his parents were simple people, and Francisco went to college with a scholarship. And yes, he lived in an expensive part of town, and he brought his parents a house there, as well, but he wasn’t born in this world, like Caitlin was.</p><p>Carla said his parents were polite and that Francisco was raised well.</p><p>She said that once they got married, people would still talk because the importance of the Ramon name was new.</p><p>But she also said that it was the least horrible option she could find.</p><p>Caitlin was… very apprehensive and a little afraid. But she went into it with her head held high and a smile on her face. She always knew she was going to end up here.</p><p>Love was never really an option for her.</p><p>
  <b>△ One ▽</b>
</p><p>They came over for tea, Francisco, his older brother and their parents.</p><p>Francisco Ramon was more cute than handsome, very polite, and he had clearly read up on all the etiquette regarding these meetings.</p><p>He did everything by the book. Caitlin wasn’t sure she knew all the rules, but she was sure he did everything right.</p><p>He called her ‘Miss Snow’ and he kissed the back of her hand. He never spoke unless asked and he folded the napkin in his lap. He knew which spoon was for the tea and which was for the cakes, and he always served his mother before taking something for himself.</p><p>The conversation was stilled and completely predictable. In fact, Caitlin and Francisco didn’t get to speak much. Mostly, it was just their parents singing their praises while trying to make it sound natural.</p><p>There was a pause in it all.</p><p>At one point, Carla and Francisco’s parents went to the office, obviously to start talking about money and wedding organisation.</p><p>Dante immediately pulled out his phone, excusing himself by saying that his wife was home alone with the kids and he wanted to check in on her.</p><p>Caitlin didn’t get to answer, because Francisco let out a really long groan, paired with loosening up his tie and slouching in his seat.</p><p>‘Good god, I thought they were never going to leave.’</p><p>Dante said his name, clearly in alarm, but Francisco just waved him off.</p><p>He looked to Caitlin, for what felt like the first time that day, and he smiled.</p><p>‘Honestly, this has been the most awkwardly awful experience of my life.’</p><p>Dante groaned, covering his face in embarrassment. But Francisco did not look embarrassed at all, which was very interesting.</p><p>‘I can agree to that.’, Caitlin said slowly.</p><p>Fracisco nodded strongly, smiling.</p><p>‘While it was lovely to hear about how good of a dancer you are and your love for Greek tragedies, I’d much rather hear you talk about how the new vaccine for the flu is going.’</p><p>Caitlin blinked at that, very surprised.</p><p>‘I was under the impression that you were an engineer.’</p><p>‘I am.’</p><p>‘Then… why do you want to hear me speak of vaccines?’</p><p>‘Because it’s cool!’, Francisco piped up with a hint of excitement.</p><p>It all but threw Caitlin off her seat. She wasn’t used to other people being excited about her work. Especially not people who weren’t working in her domain.</p><p>‘You scared her, idiota.’, Dante whispered very loudly to his brother.</p><p>Francisco frowned at Caitlin. ‘Did I?’</p><p>‘Not at all.’, she said after a moment. ‘I’ll tell you about the vaccine, if you tell me about the new battery you’re working on.’</p><p>Slowly but surely, he grinned at her.</p><p>‘Call me Cisco, will you?’</p><p>Oh, he was quite handsome when he grinned. And when he started talking about his work, excitedly and with a little child-like wonder, he was beautiful.</p><p>Their parents came back to a very different atmosphere than when they left, but nobody commented on it.</p><p>
  <b>△ Two ▽</b>
</p><p>For the next months, they got to know each other. They texted a lot, met up sometimes for lunch or coffee. </p><p>Sometimes, Dante was there. He always regarded Caitlin curiously, like she was a puzzle he couldn’t solve.</p><p>Caitlin understood it, because her and Cisco’s relationship was quite odd.</p><p>They’ve only known each other for a few weeks, but they acted like they’ve grown up together. When they were together, they talked a lot, always about work stuff but with personal bits and pieces scattered in between.</p><p>When they texted, there was more personal information being shared.</p><p>Caitlin liked Cisco. He made her laugh, and he let her talk about all the things she was interested in. And even though they grew up in very different social environments, it didn’t matter to either of them.</p><p>Every time Cisco did something that wasn’t propper, Caitlin kindly explained it to him. And every time she said or did something that was way too propper, he pointed it out with clear amusement.</p><p>They became friends, good friends, and Caitlin was glad that if she couldn’t marry someone she loved, at least she was going to marry a good man that she liked.</p><p>Cisco kept surprising her.</p><p>The moment when he asked her to visit him at the Ramon Industries offices, she was surprised. Theoretically, she still worked for Tannhauser Industries, which was somewhat the competition.</p><p>Still, Caitlin went.</p><p>Cisco was clearly excited for her to be there. He gave her a short tour, and then he took her to his lab. He was proud of everything that he was working on, and Caitlin was proud of him, too.</p><p>And then, he said something that threw her completely off.</p><p>‘There’s a lot of work ahead of you, Caitlin, but I’ll make sure you’ll get all the help you need. I’ve already asked HR to look for the best people. Of course, you’ll have the last word, but-’</p><p>‘Wait.’, she cut him off. ‘What are you talking about?’</p><p>Cisco frowned. ‘Didn’t your mom tell you?’</p><p>‘She told me that I was going to be working here.’, Caitlin nodded. ‘And that, hopefully, you’ll let me continue my research in my spare time.’</p><p>‘No.’, Cisco said slowly. ‘That’s what your mom wanted, and I specifically told her it was not happening.’</p><p>‘It’s not?’, Caitlin couldn’t help but be disappointed. She liked the thought of working with Cisco.</p><p>He took a deep breath and grabbed her hand. It was the first time he ever did it, and it made Caitlin blush instantly.</p><p>But he was looking softly at her, with just a little hesitation.</p><p>‘Ramon Industries is going to have a biochemistry department, research and development. And you’re going to be running it.’</p><p>Caitlin’s jaw dropped.</p><p>‘I think your mom didn’t trust me to do it.’, Cisco pulled a face. ‘Granted, it’s going to take a while. I mean, realistically speaking, your name will probably be Ramon when we’re gonna manage to make it stand, but…’</p><p>‘You’d do that for me?’, she whispered, knowing her eyes were wide and unbelieving.</p><p>‘It’s already done, Caitlin. You’re signing the papers today, your lawyer already looked them over.’</p><p>She breathed out shakily. Cisco was kind, too kind. It surprised her, and it made her like him just that little bit more.</p><p>
  <b>△ Three ▽</b>
</p><p>The engagement party happened three months after they met.</p><p>It was at one of the most expensive event halls in town, everyone was invited, everyone was there, and Caitlin really disliked these sort of events. It was even worse now, when all eyes were on her.</p><p>She looked good, though. After four hours and a team of three people, she did look good, in a light blue dress that fit her perfectly, gold makeup and very bouncy curls in her hair.</p><p>Cisco looked good as well, in a dark blue suit and his hair in a sleek ponytail.</p><p>When they saw each other, they both just stared for a long moment. Then they shook their heads and got past the moment.</p><p>They did their job.</p><p>Smiled at everyone, shook hands, introduced themselves, answered questions about the wedding, politely dodged questions about having kids, danced a few songs together, a lot more apart.</p><p>After five hours, Caitlin wanted to scream. She also wanted a tequila shot and a nap.</p><p>Cisco came by her side, politely took her away from the man she was dancing with.</p><p>Wordlessly, he held her hand and led her away. Through the kitchen, where a waiter was waiting with a tray that Cisco expertly took from his hands. They went further, through a back exit, until they reached what was clearly the staff's smoking place.</p><p>It was empty, mercifully so.</p><p>'You can breathe, now.', Cisco told her with a grin, and Caitlin wanted to cry in relief.</p><p>He also gave her a glass of champagne and a glass of Coke. She drained both of them, and only afterwards managed to relax.</p><p>'Thank you.', Caitlin told him. She boldly grabbed his hand, and Cisco was quick to wrap his fingers around hers.</p><p>He smiled. ‘You know, when my parents told me you were gonna be the one, the thing I was scared of the most was never being able to rise up to your standards.’</p><p>She frowned at that.</p><p>‘I mean that…’, Cisco shook his head. ‘You were taught different things than I was, growing up. All this’, he waved a hand to the hall, ‘I taught myself, in a week of sleepless nights and-’</p><p>‘I hate it.’, Caitlin cut him off. ‘Growing up, all this. I hate it, Cisco. This is not me, not how I want to be. But how I have to.’</p><p>Cisco nodded. ‘I know that, now. I saw it clearly, tonight.’</p><p>Again, she frowned at that.</p><p>‘I saw it in your eyes.’, he smiled a little. ‘And it… it helps, knowing it. Knowing this about you, it helped me survive tonight. And going forward, it’ll help me.’</p><p>‘It doesn’t have to be like this.’, Caitlin said, thinking quickly. ‘With us. I mean, there are going to be moments when mom will make us go to these types of parties, but I promise I’ll try my best to keep us as… normal as possible.’</p><p>‘But this is your normal.’</p><p>Caitlin shrugged. ‘I like your normal better. And when we’ll have to be my normal…’</p><p>‘I’ll save you.’, Cisco grinned. ‘Like tonight. I promise.’</p><p>That was the first moment, ever since meeting Cisco, that Caitlin actually thought about the future. Let herself really think about a future with him.</p><p>It didn’t look as bad as she thought it would.</p><p>
  <b>△ Four ▽</b>
</p><p>They were pretty involved in organizing the wedding, meaning that their mothers and the wedding planner took their likes and wants into account and sent them places to pick things.</p><p>It was after one of these errands, after choosing the cake, when Cisco invited Caitlin to his home for a cup of coffee.</p><p>That was the excuse, anyway. The real reason for the visit was to show Caitlin where she will be moving after the wedding.</p><p>Because while Caitlin was still in her mother’s house, Cisco lived alone, in the good part of town, in a nice house with a second storey, an attic, and a hammock in the garden.</p><p>The interior design was cozy with a splash of pop culture, but Cisco started the tour by saying that she could change anything she wanted, except for the attic. That was his part time lab/part time office and he still worked from home a lot of the time.</p><p>As they walked through the house, Caitlin started thinking about the things she would like to change, but they weren’t too big. A rug here, a plant there, a few throw pillows.</p><p>Cisco didn’t prepare her a separate bedroom, assuming that they were going to share a bed. While Caitlin felt awkward about it, she knew they were going to end there, so she didn’t mention it.</p><p>But Cisco did arrange a room for her: an office. It had a large window with a reading nook, and the comfortable sofa and the vintage looking desk were in the center of the room, because all four walls were completely covered in bookshelves, floor to ceiling. Empty bookshelves, ready to be filled.</p><p>She heard her mother’s voice in her ear, telling her that she should stop buying books, because she had an ebook reader.</p><p>Honestly, Caitlin felt like crying, a little. She didn’t, somehow she managed to not cry. But she did hug Cisco, very tightly.</p><p>He was surprised by it, whispered a very soft and incredulous ‘Oh.’, but he was quick to hug her back.</p><p>‘You like it?’, Cisco asked.</p><p>Caitlin nodded, against his neck. ‘I’m going to be happy living here.’</p><p>‘Good.’, he breathed out. ‘That’s all I want.’</p><p>In that moment, Caitlin understood something very important about Cisco: he cared about her.</p><p>And Caitlin? She felt the same, and maybe more.</p><p>
  <b>△ Five ▽</b>
</p><p>At the end of the day, Caitlin liked Cisco.</p><p>At the end of the day, Caitlin was, slowly but surely, falling in love with Cisco.</p><p>At the end of the day, they were getting married in the morning.</p><p>Caitlin was nervous. It was the first time she actually got nervous, in regards to the wedding.</p><p>She was comfortable with Cisco, so when they were together, it was easy to move quickly past the fact that they were actually getting married, and that they were supposed to spend the rest of their lives together.</p><p>But that night, the thoughts got to her, and they got to her bad. Caitlin spirareld, and she spiraled badly, to the point where she was considering calling the whole thing off.</p><p>And then there was a knock on her window.</p><p>She startled, badly, but her window was wide open, so she saw Cisco’s face, hovering.</p><p>‘How the hell did you get past the security systems?’, were the words that came out of her mouth.</p><p>‘Plausible deniability, I’m not telling you’, was his quick response. ‘May I come in?’</p><p>She nodded and watched in awe as Cisco stepped inside from his hoverboard. Because there was, in fact, a functional hoverboard outside of her window.</p><p>But inside, there was her fiance, looking curiously at her room and amusedly at the plaid pajamas she was wearing.</p><p>‘So? How are you doing?’, he asked calmly.</p><p>Caitlin burst out laughing. It was nervous laughter, completely unnatural, so she covered her mouth with her hands.</p><p>He snorted, but he also came to her side and gently grabbed her wrists, pulling them away from her face. Cisco didn’t let go as he leveled her with a look.</p><p>‘You’re freaking out, aren’t you?’</p><p>Caitlin gulped, but she nodded.</p><p>‘Yeah, me too.’, Cisco admitted, blushing slightly. ‘But then I got here, and I saw you, and I’m not worried anymore.’</p><p>While that might be the most beautiful thing he had ever said to Caitlin, it didn’t help her a lot.</p><p>‘We’re gonna be okay.’, Cisco said next, smiling. ‘We… we get along well, don’t we?’</p><p>‘Yes.’, she nodded quickly. ‘Yeah, we do.’</p><p>‘So we have that going for us.’</p><p>He was trying to sound carefree, but he wasn’t succeeding, not really. Caitlin still saw doubt in his eyes, but there was also something soft and caring, in the way he looked at her.</p><p>‘Look, I’m not going to lie to you.’, Cisco said slowly. ‘I don’t like the world we live in. I don’t like that the concept of love is so… unimportant. And I really don’t like the fact that we’re supposed to spend the rest of our life together, and that decision was made by reading files and last names.’</p><p>Caitlin was trying really hard not to let his words crush her. But they were true, at the end of the day, so she nodded.</p><p>‘But’, Cisco took a deep breath, ‘I like you. I really do, Caitlin. And it’s not just about spending time with you and being friends. It’s not just that. I…’ He faltered, blushing badly and shaking his head.</p><p>‘Kiss me.’, Caitlin said, urgently.</p><p>Cisco’s eyes grew wide. ‘I’m not supposed to.’</p><p>That was the way the world worked. In arranged marriages, love didn’t matter, nor did physical attraction and sex. It was an unspoken rule that the physical aspect of things will come after the wedding.</p><p>‘But I want you to.’, Caitlin admitted.</p><p>They both have had relationships before, they both have had sex before. And they knew it, they have had a long and awkward conversation about it.</p><p>So it was ridiculous, to wait for a kiss.</p><p>‘I want you to.’, she said again. ‘You don’t have to, but-’</p><p>Cisco cut her off, with his lips. It was just a short press of lips, and it was kind of… violent.</p><p>He pulled back, shook his head and took a deep breath.</p><p>‘Right, let’s try that again.’</p><p>He gently cupped her cheeks and the kiss was a lot softer. Sweeter, and kinder and Caitlin felt her heart explode.</p><p>They stopped when Cisco’s phone dinged with a text. Apparently, Dante figured out where he was.</p><p>‘So, we’re good?’, Cisco asked, one leg out on the windowsill.</p><p>Caitlin now knew what Cisco’s lips felt against hers, how he tasted like and how gentle his fingers were on her skin.</p><p>‘Yeah, we’re good.’, she smiled. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’</p><p>Cisco grinned. ‘I’ll marry you tomorrow.’</p><p>
  <b>△ Plus One ▽</b>
</p><p>The wedding went well.</p><p>It was a 16 hour long day, Caitlin was a nervous wreck through it all, but it went well.</p><p>The parents were pleased, all the guests had fun, Caitlin and Cisco did everything that was expected of them.</p><p>At the end of it all, Caitlin had a gold ring on her finger that matched Cisco’s, she had a long shower at his place, she was going to have a little difficulty calling it “their” place, and she stole one of shirts to use as pajamas.</p><p>And then, they were on either side of his bed, looking at each other.</p><p>‘We don’t have to… do anything.’, Cisco said slowly.</p><p>Caitlin blinked. ‘Cisco, I’m so tired I can’t keep my eyes opened.’</p><p>He groaned, collapsing face first on the bed. ‘Thank god. I fell asleep three times while you were in the shower.’</p><p>She giggled. She was so tired, she couldn’t even feel awkward about getting into bed next to him.</p><p>Cisco moved, though, got under the covers and hesitantly held an arm up. Caitlin moved under it, snuggled to his side and rested her head on his chest.</p><p>‘We’re married.’, Cisco said after a few minutes, when it became clear that neither of them were sleeping. ‘Can you believe we’re married?’</p><p>‘Yeah.’, she said after a moment, playing with her wedding ring. ‘You wanna know why?’</p><p>He hummed, a curious sound.</p><p>‘Because’, Caitlin smiled, ‘I’m falling in love with you and it feels right.’</p><p>He didn’t answer, not for a long time. When he did answer, he didn’t do it with words, but with a kiss, a gentle touch, and the foreign sound of their wedding rings clicking together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Day7: Media Adaptation - Harry Potter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Five times Cisco does a spell wrong, and one time he doesn’t.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I would have wanted to place this at Ilvermorny, but we know nothing of it. So Hogwarts it is. Also, I blame this on the lovely people in the KV Discord. This is, somehow, all your fault.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Hogwarts was a dream come true, for Cisco.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magic was real. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Magis was REAL</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and he could use it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was amazing and incredible, and he was having difficulties believing it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But McGonagall, sitting in their kitchen, turned a cup of coffee into a plush bear. So Cisco believed it, and so did his parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t really understand what it meant, going to Hogwarts, but the teacher explained that Cisco will be well taken care of and that he had a lot of future career choices in the magical world. So they let him go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which meant that for the next months, Cisco didn’t have to hear about how big a disappointment he was, and how big of an achievement Dante was. For the first time in his life, he had something for himself, something that was just his, not something Dante once did and everyone expected Cisco to do, as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco had magic, he was in Gryffindor and he will spend several months a year in a castle, filled with other kids like him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was beyond thrilled to study magic, even if it didn’t always go that well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To be fair, Cisco only rarely screwed up his spells, and it always happened when Caitlin was around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if he didn’t grow up in the wizarding world, Cisco quickly found out who Caitlin Snow was. One of the oldest and richest families, so much money they put an extension charm on their Gringotts vault. Purebloods, through and through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her father died the day she got her Hogwarts letter and her mother was a very cold person. So Caitlin all but threw herself into her studies, the second her foot stepped out of the train.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the second week of first year, it became clear that she was going to always be the best in school, no matter what the class was and no matter how many people talked bad about her behind her back. She was in Ravenclaw, of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the end of the first year, it became clear that Caitlin Snow was not going to make any real friends in school. She was polite and never took part in drama, but she didn’t make any connections with anybody.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the start of the second year, after a full summer holiday that passed without seeing Caitlin Snow, Cisco was pretty sure he was in love with her, even if they haven’t actually spoken yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Year two brought a shared Charms class, with Ravenclaw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bad thing was that Cisco totally lost Barry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barry was his best friend, the only real friend he had at school, a fellow Gryffindor who was completely head over heels in love with Iris West, his best friend since forever. Since Iris was a Ravenclaw, the two immediately sat next to each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The good thing was that somehow, Caitlin sat down next to him. She asked politely, introduced herself, and even smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It all went surprisingly well, Cisco managed not to make a fool out of himself, until the moment they pulled out their wands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were learning about the Scouring Charm which, in theory, was amazing. A charm to clean up any spill? Super useful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco screwed it up. He did clean the ink spill on the table but somehow, he managed to transfer it on Caitlin’s shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She yelped and jumped off her chair as he stared, in horror, at the dark ink that was spreading on her pristine white shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the weirdest thing happened: Caitlin started laughing. A full on belly laugh, borderline hysterical. It was a beautiful sound that Cisco had never heard before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t feel so bad about screwing up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And somehow, even with the messed up spell, Caitlin sat down next to him at the next Charm class. And a week later, she sat down next to him in the library.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And somehow, they became friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Two ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>In year three, Cisco was having difficulties with Transfigurations. He didn’t hate it, exactly, but he had to put in a lot of extra effort to make them work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every free moment he had, he practiced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was with Caitlin outside. They were sitting by the lake, because it was a beautiful, sunny day. She was reading a book as thick as a tree, spread out on a blanket, her feet free of shoes and socks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was sitting cross legged next to her, trying to turn a teapot into a tortoise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So far, he managed to turn his teapot green, make it have a tortoise shell pattern, and gave it legs. They weren’t moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wordlessly, Caitlin turned the abomination back into a teapot every time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned, throwing the teapot in the grass and collapsing next to Caitlin, looking up at the sun. She made an inquisitive sound, to which Cisco just groaned, again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin closed her book and diverted her full attention to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘So, Cisco.’, she asked gently. ‘How are you?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Terrible.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I meant, how are you feeling?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Horrible.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin sighed. Gently, she laid a hand on his shoulder. She was stingy with her casual touches, it was shocking every time she touched him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘May I be honest with you?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco opened his eyes and looked at her. She looked hesitant, but there was fondness in his eyes, fully directed at him. It made him want to say or do something stupid, so he closed his eyes again. But he nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You’ve been acting… off, lately. The past few weeks. There’s something going on with you, and I think it’s affecting you more than you’d like.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘So my brother’s an idiot and it’s screwing up my magic?’, Cisco scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What did Dante do?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed, deeply. ‘I told you that he’s a singer.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes, he plays the piano for people at parties and concerts, and gets paid for it.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco smiled, because Caitlin wasn’t used to some muggle things, no matter how much he explained them to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Well, he’s going on tour. A few weeks, at the start of summer. It’s a great opportunity.’, he couldn’t help but sound sarcastic. ‘So my parents are going with him, of course, and they can’t leave me home alone for so long. So of course I have to go with them.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And why don’t you want that?’, Caitlin asked cautiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Because I will spend those weeks hearing about how amazing Dante is, and how irrelevant I am.’, Cisco kind of exploded. ‘And I will have to do anything and everything my brother tells me to, because that’s all I am good for!’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco…’, Caitlin’s voice trembled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Sorry.’, he looked back at her. ‘I’m used to it, when I’m home. But there, I can lock myself up in my room or go walk in the woods. I won’t be able to do that if I’m stuck with them in a car and hotel rooms.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I never understood it.’, Caitlin frowned. ‘I’m sorry.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Understood what?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘They don’t understand magic, do they? Your family?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No, they don’t.’, he shook his head. ‘They believe it, because they saw McGonagall do it, but they don’t believe I can do it.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And you can’t show them.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin shook her head. ‘Sorry, we were discussing something else.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the anger he was still feeling, Cisco smiled at her. She was cute when she got distracted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Did you know’, Caitlin went on, ‘that St. Mungo’s organizez summer internships?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco frowned. ‘What does that have to do with-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘They accept pretty much anybody, because they need man power. You don’t have to know medicine or spells, you can help in other ways. Clean the rooms, wash the sheets, organize paperwork. It will look good when you apply for a job in the future.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Okay.’, he said slowly. ‘So I could apply for an internship and-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘It lasts a month. I’m going at the start of summer.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco’s brain finally started working. ‘I’d still have to be home alone, though.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head. ‘They offer lodging for interns. It’s not that great but you definitely won’t be alone.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he finally understood what she was saying, Cisco stared at her. He was quick to agree, though. A month more with Caitlin? A month more away from his family? A month in a wizarding hospital? Yeah, Cisco agreed quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin helped him fill out the application, and she helped him write the letter to his parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco never really did manage to turn the teapot into a tortoise. But he turned it into a frog, so McGonagall gave him some points for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They saw each other every day, during that month at St. Mungo’s. Cisco was tasked to reorganize the archives and Caitlin actually worked with patients, but they had lunch together and come evening, he walked her home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He met her mother, once, and she insisted he stayed for dinner. No matter how polite Cisco was, and he really did act on his best behavior, he had the feeling Mrs. Snow did not like him. Probably because of his impure blood status.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Caitlin ignored her mother, focused her attention on Cisco. She smiled, throughout dinner, smiled a lot, and at the end of that evening, kissed his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Three ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>For someone whose last name was ‘Snow’, Caitlin really disliked the cold weather. It was something he had gotten used to pretty early on, to see her wearing several long sleeved shirts and sweaters under her robes and ridiculously large hats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco doesn’t think he’s ever seen her look as happy as she was in year four, in the Potions classroom, when she learned how to make Pepperup Potion. It was a cure for the common cold, but it had the weird side effect of making steam come out of the drinker’s ears for the next hours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That winter, Caitlin was constantly steaming out of her ears. Cisco did everything he could think of to help. He gave her hoodies and his fluffy socks, he made her sit by the fire in the library, he researched all the warming spells and charms he could find.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing worked. Every other week, Caitlin would get a cold and get miserable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As a last Hail Mary, Cisco wrote to his mother, who was quick to send a care package.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin wasn’t at breakfast the day it arrived, she was probably fighting off yet another cold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Cisco wasn’t allowed to go into the Ravenclaw common room. He tried every spell he knew, twice, but nothing worked. So he spent a few minutes outside of it, waiting for someone to go in or out. Thankfully, it was Iris that came in, and she was quick to let Caitlin know that Cisco was waiting for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked dreadful. Her face was pale, her cheeks were flushed, her hair was matted with sweat. She wore thick pajamas and one of Cisco’s hoodies on top, and she was carrying a box of tissues.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as she saw him, Caitlin smiled. She also sat down on the ground, saying she was too tired to make it to a bench.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco sat down in front of her, ignored the way people were looking at them as they were going in and out of the common room. He also took his time to explain everything that was in the box: cough syrup and drops, cold medicine in the form of pills, dissolvable dust and even gummy bears (Cisco liked those the most). There was also a heated blanket (powered by the only type of batteries Cisco discovered worked on Hogwarts grounds), Vaporub and the sort of socks made to be soaked in vinegar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin stared at him as he explained, and then she promptly started crying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Cisco sat frozen in his spot, a shadow fell over them. Looking up, he saw McGonagall’s figure glaring down at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He fell down on his ass, but he was quick to get up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Never in my decades at this school’, the teacher said slowly, ‘have muggle medicines been smuggled in.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I didn’t smuggle them in!’, Cisco was quick to defend himself. ‘Mom sent them, and they’re not illegal! They’re all over the counter stuff, I swear! They won’t work as quickly as Madam Pomfrey’s potions, but they’ll do the job.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>McGonagall narrowed her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Help Miss Snow up.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was quick to do so, not liking the way Caitlin was super warm to the touch. He frowned at her, not letting go of her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You’re burning up.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Take the day off, Miss Snow.’, McGonagall said gently. ‘And take the medicine Mr. Ramon provided for you.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Thank you.’, she sniffed, still crying. ‘Both of you.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’ll check on you after class.’, Cisco told her. ‘And I’ll ask Iris to get your homework.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With another sniff and a shaky smile, Caitlin went back inside the common room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You know, ma’am’, he turned to McGonagall, ‘I really hate this rule where we can’t go to other houses’ common rooms.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The older woman hummed, evidently amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And what would you have done if this rule wasn’t in play?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Uhm-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘How would you have helped Miss Snow?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Uhm, well…’ He didn’t answer, because all he could think of was cuddling with Caitlin in front of the fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You did enough, Mr. Ramon.’, McGonagall pointed out. ‘Now, don’t you have class to get you?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did, so with a sigh, he took his leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t see Caitlin for the rest of the day, but she had sent word, through Iris and Barry, that she was feeling better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next day, she looked and felt a lot better. Still wearing Cisco’s hoodie, but not as pale and shaky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the end of the day, they went for a walk around the castle, all alone, and Caitlin kissed his cheek, thanking him for taking care of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘There was a letter, in the box, from your mother. Next holiday, I’m invited for dinner.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco froze, staring at her with wide eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’d like to meet your family’, she said gently, ‘but if you don’t want to, then-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘It’s not that.’, he was quick to say. ‘But, it’ll be embarrassing.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin frowned. ‘Why?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Because you’re a girl.’, he admitted with great difficulty. ‘And they still don’t really understand magic.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Well, good, cause I still don’t understand muggles. But I understand you, so I think it’ll be okay.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really couldn’t argue anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few months later, she did come over for dinner. Her parents found her innocent questions about muggle things very endearing, and his mother appreciated how polite and well raised Caitlin was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dante tried to make fun of her, but Caitlin immediately cut him off and ignored him for the rest of the evening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco loved her a terrible amount.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Four ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was always super stressed about Caitlin’s birthday.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was in February, so if he wanted to buy her something outside of Hogsmeade, he had to do it during the Christmas holidays, which meant during the Christmas chaos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the past three years, he managed in the muggle world. He got her sweaters and books, a silver pendant and a fluffy teddy bear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But this year, nothing that Cisco saw in the shops felt like it was enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This year, he was willing to admit to himself just how much in love he was with Caitlin, and how big of a coward he was for not saying anything to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So this year, he had real trouble choosing a gift for Caitlin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly enough, Dante helped, albeit unwillingly. When he saw Cisco moping around the Christmas tree, he asked what was bothering him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I don’t know what to get Caitlin for her birthday.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dante laughed, of course, like it was the funniest thing Cisco had ever said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Flowers and chocolate, brother. Girls like that sort of thing.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, Cisco rolled his eyes. But then he remembered something their Herbology professor said once, about how if a wizard spells a plant, their life lines will forever be tied. He had an idea, and it was pretty mad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Writing to his Herbology professor in the middle of the Christmas holidays was pretty rude. But alongside his question, Cisco also sent some pretty expensive muggle alcohol to Professor Longbottom, some coffee for his wife and chocolate for his kids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, he was surprised when he received an answer. Longbottom was more than happy to help, once they were back at school, and he wrote about the types of plants that would have a better chance of working.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end, Cisco settled for lavender. Mostly because Longbottom said it had a high chance of working, but also because he liked that both muggles and witches had uses for the plant. And it smelled nice, he knew for a fact Caitlin liked it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he got her a pot of lavender, and with Longbottom’s help, he cast a spell on it to live as long as he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he told Caitlin this, she almost dropped the pot in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘It’s selfish, really.’, Cisco grinned, trying to play it down. ‘You have the plant now, and you’re gonna want to keep it alive for as long as possible, so of course you’ll do your best to also keep </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> alive as long as possible.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I don’t need a plant to do that.’, was her quick response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It made Cisco falter, the way she didn’t hesitate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Thank you.’, Caitlin smiled gently. ‘I love it.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She kissed his cheek, pressing her lips to his skin for so long, it felt like an eternity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco needed to get Professor Longbottom something nicer than booze and chocolate.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Five ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Year six had Caitlin turning up on the first day of school in a short skirt, with blonde highlights in her hair and her lips painted bright red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t that she looked better, she was still just as beautiful as ever. But people noticed her, now, a lot more than before. Boys. Guys. Assholes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned down most of them. Some of them she didn’t turn down, she went on a date or two, but never more than that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And some of them got pissed. They started saying nasty things behind her back, started whispering and laughing at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin was not having a good time. Cisco, Barry and Iris did the best they could to keep her busy and as unaware as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It worked for a while, until it all went to hell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t feeling too well, that day. First day of her period, Cisco knew the tales by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In Defence Against the Dark Arts, they were dueling and Caitlin got pitted against one of the guys she had refused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jay Garrick was a Slytherin, captain of the Quidditch team. He was massive, and a massive asshole. And Caitlin was not at full strength.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She kept her own in the duel, pretty well, but Cisco could see that she was getting tired. And he could see that Jay was getting angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their teacher was oblivious, talking to one of the other students.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he didn’t see when Jay, with fire in his eyes, yelled a hateful </span>
  <em>
    <span>Everte Statum. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was a charm that should have thrown Caitlin back, she would have hit the stone wall behind her, and judging by the amount of hate Jay was feeling right then, it would have caused her great pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jay didn’t manage to hit his mark, because somehow, Cisco predicted it. He managed to pull up a shield in front of Caitlin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Cisco was angry as well, so he didn’t stop there. He quickly hit Jay with an </span>
  <em>
    <span>Expelliarmus</span>
  </em>
  <span>, making his wand fly up and away. And then, for good measure, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Petrificus Totalus</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t really work, it just petrified Jay’s legs. It was enough to make him fall to the ground, face first. Blood sprouted, probably he broke his nose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was panting, and Caitlin was staring at him, with wide, unbelieving eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the teacher called his name in horror, and Cisco realized he screwed up. Badly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the first time he was in the Headmaster's office, but McGonagall was glaring at him so badly, he didn’t find it in himself to look around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco told her everything, absolutely everything. The way Jay asked Caitlin out, the nasty things he said since she turned him down, the way he acted when the teacher called him up to duel against her. And everything that happened in the duel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps he told her a little too much, because McGonagall regarded him curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘If you were not in school, what spell would you have hit Mr. Garrick with?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco hesitated, but only for a moment. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Incendio</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Aimed at his face.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘In that case, I congratulate you, Mr. Ramon, for showing restraint. 50 points to Gryffindor.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His jaw dropped, but the teacher ignored him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Minus 100 points to Slytherin, for bullying and because Mr. Garrick did not show restraint.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Uh, Ma’am? Are you feeling okay?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>McGonagall smirked. ‘You did attack a fellow student, Mr. Ramon, and that cannot go unpunished. You shall accompany Hagrid to the Forbidden Forest for every night this week.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He liked Hagrid, but the Forbidden Forest was another story. ‘What will we be doing there?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh, I have no idea.’, the teacher smiled. ‘I’m sure Hagrid will figure something out.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Cisco knew that this was McGonagall showing him kindness, and maybe agreeing with him that Jay was an asshole. But he was too shocked to acknowledge it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And Mr. Ramon?’, she went on. ‘Take this as a warning. I don’t think Miss Snow will take kindly to you assuming she can’t take care of herself.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh, I know she won’t.’, Cisco nodded. ‘I didn’t do this because I didn’t think she could handle it.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Then why did you do it?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gulped and had to look away from the older woman. But he felt compelled to tell her the truth, even if he was blushing furiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Because I’ve wanted to punch Garrick in the face since the moment I saw him looking at Caitlin. Now, he gave me an excuse to do it.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>McGonagall sighed, like she had all the weight of the world on her shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Get out of here, Mr. Ramon. And let Miss Snow yell at you all she wants.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did just that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin did yell at him, for a few hours, but then she hugged him very tightly and she cried on his shoulder, thanking Cisco for taking care of her and caring for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>△ Plus One ▽</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Each year, Cisco thought exams were worse than the year before. In year seven, their last year, every class and every exam was just pure toture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco was constantly exhausted. He spent every moment he had studying. In classes, yes, but also in the common room, in his dormitory, during meals and sometimes, he found himself revising in his head while he was taking a shower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More than once, well… More like once a week, Cisco could be seen in the Library, holding a shaking Caitlin in his arms, crying her eyes out because of stress. Nobody even batted an eye anymore, the librarian even let them stay after curfew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it was ridiculous, really. Caitlin was already accepted in the St. Mungo’s healers program, she just had to get an A in Herbology and Potions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco had a job lined up, too. A new department in the Ministry of Magic, tasked with researching ways of incorporating Muggle technology into the wizarding world. He didn’t even need to pass his exams, it was not a requirement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, they did their best, even if it was pure torture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco finished with his exams a few hours earlier than Caitlin. Barry and Iris were already in the post-exam sleep coma, but Cisco waited for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She came out of her Herbology exam crying. She was sobbing, really, but Cisco realized that it was good crying, in relief and happiness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Caitlin saw him waiting outside of the classroom, she ran to his side, threw her bag on the floor and all but jumped in his arms. No, really, she wrapped her arms around his neck and for a moment there, her feet were dangling in the air. Cisco held her up, but his back hit the wall behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘We’re done.’, she said against his neck. ‘We’re actually done.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the moment when Cisco actually managed to relax.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Let’s go somewhere?’, Caitlin said next, making it sound… nefarious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Where?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Astronomy Tower?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Sure.', Cisco answered without even thinking about it. 'It's probably deserted.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'And it will take awhile for the Prefects to reach it for curfew checks.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco frowned deeply. 'Who are you and what have you done to Caitlin Snow?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She giggled, releasing him from the hug and gently wiping at her still wet eyes. Wordlessly, she grabbed his hand, and led him to the Astronomy Tower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made it up, but had to take a moment to catch their breaths. And then, their eyes locked and they both started laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was an easy laughter, a happy one because they were done with exams, done with school, but also a neurotic one because they were both exhausted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco remembered that there was a secret cupboard where students put supplies for their illicit dates in the Astronomy Tower. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There, he found a blanket and two pillows, which he was quick to lay down, but no candles. It was pitch dark, the only light coming from the stars, through the windows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frowning, he took out his wand and aimed it at the pillows. It worked on the first time, Cisco managed to transfigure them into candles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Caitlin that lit them up, with a nonberbal spell. Cisco rolled his eyes, albeit fondly, and sat down, crossing his legs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin joined him on the blanket, sitting very close to Cisco. Very close, their sides were pushed together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was never this cuddly. But, to be fair, there were still tears in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Everything's going to change, in a few days.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, Cisco felt that like a stab to the heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Yeah, it will.', he said gently. 'But not everything is going to change.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin looked hopeful, clearly waiting for him to go on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘McGonagall is still going to roll her eyes when she sees me next. Garrick is still going to be an asshole if our paths ever cross again. Iris and Barry are still going to be hopelessly in love with each other and nauseatingly sweet together.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes, they will.’, Caitlin agreed around a chuckle, before growing serious and hesitant. ‘And what about us?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Well, we’re not going to be able to see each other every day, that’s for sure.’, Cisco grumbled, evidently annoyed by the fact. ‘But that won’t stop me from loving you.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blushed furiously, but that didn’t make it any less true.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin smiled, pleased. ‘Yeah?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yes.’, Cisco nodded with certainty. ‘We’re going to see each other as often as we can. I mean, St. Mungo’s is permanently connected with the Ministry through the Floo Network. I’ll take you out for lunch. We’ll both be living in London, so dinner, too. And, you know, I’ll be working on wielding together magic and muggle tech. I have sixteen different ideas for mobile phones.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin’s eyes grew wide at that, and she tilted her head, clearly thinking. But then she shook her head and smiled at Cisco.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘So you won’t forget about me?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No! What? How could I ever-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And we’re still going to be friends? That’s not going to change?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I promise.’, Cisco said strongly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin opened her mouth, closed it without saying anything. Then, she shook her head and looked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I kinda wish you wouldn’t have said that.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No.’, Cisco insisted, fingers gripping his wand tightly, in order to stop himself from grabbing her. ‘Look, Caitlin, you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>the most important thing that happened to me at Hogwarts, that’s… magic. You’re the second.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, weekly. ‘You’ve made everything easier, you always have. I may not need you to help me with transfigurations anymore, but I’m still going to want you by my side, one way or another.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice grew stronger and stronger as he went on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘You and me, we’re not just school friends, we’re not! We’re going to be old and wrinkly, and we’re still going to be arguing about the disgusting way you eat pumpkin pasties!’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘They're good if they’re cold, too.’, Caitlin rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’m just saying!’, Cisco went on, getting even more riled up. ‘I even like the weird parts of you! I don’t want us to lose touch just because we’re out of school. Damn it, Caitlin, the thought didn’t even cross my mind before, and now you’re making me panic!’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Don’t panic.’, she said gently, really unconvincingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Why shouldn’t I panic? You were panicking a minute ago!’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Cisco-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No, no, no, I’m not listening anymore. You and me, we’re forever, okay? I’m not accepting anything less! We’re always going to-’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t get to finish that sentence, because Caitlin kissed him. It was a pretty strong kiss, almost violent with the force of it, and Cisco froze, entirely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t last long, though, Caitlin pulled back quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had never seen her look as unsure as she did then, as she had never looked as beautiful. Cisco couldn’t breathe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What about this?’, she whispered. ‘Can this change?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco’s wand went off. He didn’t control it, but his wand grew very hot to the touch and a bunch of small fireworks erupted from it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His instinct was to put his wand down, and then cover Caitlin’s head, wrapping his arms around her and pushing her face to his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fireworks died down quickly enough, but Cisco didn’t really let go of Caitlin. Because she kissed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She kissed him, and it was surprising and lovely and unbelievable. And the second best thing to ever happen to him at Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘That kinda answered my question.’, Caitlin said, highly amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco took a deep breath. He pushed Caitlin away, a little, to be able to look into her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was fondness when she looked at him, like it always was. There was still hesitation, too, but now, Cisco saw something new in her eyes: excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Yeah, that answered your question.’, he whispered. He moved in to kiss her, but stopped at the last moment and kicked his wand even further away, to the other side of the tower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin snorted, ungracefully so, and she was still smiling when Cisco kissed her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was a little overenthusiastic to begin with, but once Caitlin pushed her fingers into his hair, Cisco managed to calm down. He settled his breathing, settled his hands, one on her neck and the other at her waist, and promptly forgot everything and anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He forgot that he was at Hogwarts, he forgot that they had just finished with their final NEWTs and OWLs, he forgot that they were breaking curfew and that at any moment, a Prefect could come checking and they’d get in trouble. He forgot that he was going home in a few days, he forgot that he started work at the Ministry in a month and a half.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He forgot everything, except for how much he loved Caitlin, how in love he was with her. How a chapter of their life together was ending, but a new one was beginning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Caitlin opened her mouth to him, Cisco vowed to himself that he will always do whatever in his power to keep her close. He’ll do everything to make her love him, keep her loving him, keep her in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Have a life together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the magical world of wizardry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as the thought popped into Cisco’s head, there was a boom coming from outside. They both startled and looked out the window. There were fireworks outside. A lot of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caitlin laughed, got up and pulled him up as well, making their way to the window. There were a lot of people outside on the lawn near the Astronomy tower. Mostly 7 years, all with their wands raised high, fireworks exploding up in the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Accio!’, Caitlin said, and Cisco found himself with his wand back in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a grin and a nonverbal spell, Caitlin released some bright silver fireworks from her wand. They were the largest of the bunch, and the brightest. It made everyone start yelling, screaming and whooping. Some of them looked up and saw them, and the whooping grew louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cisco didn’t join in their celebration. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Caitlin’s waist, pressing their sides together, he aimed his wand to the sky, and he kissed her senseless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That way, he knew his fireworks would be as bright as possible.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>YO. ANOTHER YEAR DONE.<br/>I'm not gonna lie, I struggled with most of these. After going at it for the 30 days challenge, coming up with another 7 was difficult. But I did it and here we are.<br/>See ya next year! Hugs and kisses, sssssssim 💜</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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